MADRID, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid coach Carlos Ancelotti will make two changes to his starting 11 as the club looks to assure their place in the knockout round of the Champions League when they play Liverpool in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday night.
A win would see the reigning European Champions assure they qualify as group winners and give them a theoretically easier draw in the last 16, as well as allowing Ancelotti the luxury of being able to rest players for the two remaining group games.
Real Madrid go into the game in high spirits after a 4-0 win in Granada and defeats for rivals such as Sevilla and FC Barcelona allowed them to end the weekend top of the BBVA Primera Liga.
Ancelotti's men have now won 11 consecutive matches and are scoring goals almost at will with an average of almost four a game.
They defeated Liverpool with ease 3-0 in Anfield a fortnight ago and are clear favorites to repeat the result in front of their home fans.
The changes Ancelotti will make in respect to the win in Granada are to bring defenders Rafael Varene and Alvaro Arbeloa into the side for Pepe and Dani Carvajal. Pepe has been struggling with a muscle problem, while Carvajal had to limp out of Saturday's victory with a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile Gareth Bale is still recovering from the muscle injury which has sidelined him for the past three weeks and allowed Isco to make such a positive impression on the side.
Liverpool travel to the Bernabeu immersed in a crisis of form and results. Brendan Rodgers' side have failed to score in their last two Premier League matches and have issues in both attack and defense.
Mario Balotelli has struggled to replace Luis Suarez, while other players such as Adam Lallana and Emre Can have yet to adapt to live at their new club, while the defense has struggled to defend set-pieces and also looks vulnerable against pace, as they showed in Saturday's defeat away to Newcastle United, all of which means Madrid's 12th consecutive win looks very much on the cards.
Tuesday also sees Atletico Madrid visit Malmo looking for their third win in the Group stage as they took aim to seal a place in the knockout phase.
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