Carlo Ancelotti expects to have several players back from injury in time for Real Madrid's Champions League opener against Stuttgart on Tuesday.
Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao are set to be available for the match at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite the Brazilian missing training as he required an extra day to recover fully.
Madrid won their record-extending 15th Champions League title last season, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final to get their hands on the trophy.
Los Blancos were a force to be reckoned with in the competition last year, and were only behind for 7% of their total match time in the Champions League last season; the lowest percentage of any team.
Former mainstays Nacho, Joselu and the now-retired Toni Kroos are no longer part of the squad, and Madrid will also be without Eduardo Camavinga through injury.
However, Ancelotti said he was excited to start their title defence with "the best player in the world" Kylian Mbappe.
"Yes, we lost Nacho and Kroos, two of our most important players. And Joselu. In exchange, one of the best players in the world is coming. Do we have a better squad than last year? I think so," Ancelotti told reporters on Monday.
Meanwhile, it was Carvajal, who scored the opening goal in their triumph over Dortmund, who confirmed Bellingham's involvement, noting his importance to the side.
"Jude's return is fantastic news for us. We know what he contributes with and without the ball," defender Dani Carvajal said.
"We demand much more from ourselves and tomorrow is a new opportunity to continue growing."
All three European club competitions have been expanded to 36 teams this season and Ancelotti's side will also be taking part in the expanded men's 32-team Club World Cup, starting next June in the United States.
Forward Brahim Diaz was the latest player to be sidelined in a slew of injuries, and Ancelotti said their gruelling schedule was to blame.
"The calendar is too demanding. A new competition is coming, and we don't know how it will turn out," he added.
"It may or may not be more entertaining. The fact is that we have two more games in this competition."
The Italian, who has won the Champions League five times as a manager and twice as a player, said the competition holds a place above all else in his heart.
"For me this competition is very special, not only for the club. But it's not just that, it's the day-to-day work to get there," he said.
"The [Champions League] will always be the same even if they change the format a little and [its relation with] Real Madrid, the same. This [year] is going to be another [chance] at history and I hope we can reach the final like last year."
Emery focused on 'new mentality' in Aston Villa's Champions League debut
Unai Emery is focusing on a new mentality for his Aston Villa side as they embark on their Champions League journey against Young Boys.
Villa are making their first appearance in Europe's top competition since 1982 on Tuesday, having previously won the competition 42 years ago.
Emery's side will become the 11th different English club to compete in the Champions League, and the first English newcomer since Leicester in 2016-17.
But the Spaniard has made a name for himself on the European stage, having won the Europa League on four occasions with Sevilla and Villarreal.
However, Emery's last game in the competition came back in 2022, with his Villarreal side eliminated by Liverpool in the semi-finals of the competition.
That particular run was the Villa head coach's best run in the tournament, and he is dreaming of going one step further with the Villains.
"I had dreams when I arrived here to play in the Champions League and be competitive in this competition," Emery told TNT Sports, in an exclusive interview.
"But we are going to set our new mentality, our new objective. Because we are now not comfortable playing in the Premier League and being in the middle.
"We want to be competitive, get in Europe, and be consistent.
"But of course, being consistent and getting into Europe is very difficult in England because it is the hardest league in the world."
While reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last season, Tuesday's match against the Swiss champions will be many of the Villa squad's first taste of Champions League football.
However, Emery has strengthened his squad with European experience in recent years.
Pau Torres was part of Emery's side that reached the semi-finals in 2022, while Ian Maatsen played the duration of Borussia Dortmund's defeat to Real Madrid in last year's final.
And the Spaniard is looking to those two players in particular to help his side navigate the encounter.
"We have players with experience; Ian Maatsen played last year and he is with us now," Emery continued.
"Other players played, Pau Torres played in a semi-final three years ago. And I am playing [coaching] in Europe for 16 years in a row.
"My experiences are very important, but the better experience we are trying to use and get is with Aston Villa, with Aston Villa players, with Aston Villa supporters.
"We are always remembering how amazing it was when they won the Champions League [European Cup] in 1982, and for us, it is very important."
One of the talking points ahead of the clash is the artificial surface at the Wankdorf Stadium.
But Emery is resolute that his players will not be using that as an excuse and will adapt to what they encounter.
"We have to accept and we have to adapt to the pitches we are playing," Emery concluded.
"Of course, usually we are playing on normal pitches, here it is synthetic. But we are going to try to adapt quickly and know what the difference is with the pitch."
KC, JC, St. George's all hit double figures in goal-filled Saturday in ISSA Manning Cup
Saturday’s action across six games in the ISSA Manning Cup was truly spectacular, producing 52 goals including a brutal 18-0 victory for Kingston College over Cumberland High at Stadium East to make up for their opening 2-2 draw with Penwood High on matchday one.
DeShawn Byfield and Kajay Fletcher split eight goals between them for the North Street school.
Demario Daley and Kamaul Patterson also had prolific days in front of goal, each securing hat-tricks as KC moved to the top of Zone C with four points and a goal difference of 18.
Jamaica College were also in a dominant mood on Saturday, blanking Ascot High 11-0 to move to w=two wins in as many games in Zone F.
Papine High were also victim of a ruthless beating on Saturday, 10-0 at the hand of St. George’s College at Papine.
STGC takes sole leadership of Zone G ahead of St. Catherine High opened their season with a 4-0 victory against Holy Trinity after being awarded the points for their first fixture versus Norman Manley.
Excelsior High defeated Bridgeport High 7-1 as they prepared for their encounter against Jamaica College in Zone F.
St. Andrew Technical High School held firm and showed resilience as they defeated Calabar High 1-0 at The Boys Town football field in Zone D.
Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace earns hosts Hollywood derby win
Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday.
A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock.
But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo.
The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.
However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross.
And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.
A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win.
Data Debrief: The American dream
Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.
Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter.
He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player.
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