Ronaldo Bale
Real Madrid superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale during a training session ahead of their Champions League game against Galatasaray, September 16Reuters

Gareth Bale has been brought in for a world record fee from Tottenham. Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new five-year contract. All is nice and rosy for Real Madrid at the moment when it comes to their star players.

Now it is onto that elusive quest for the "La Decima", that ever-increasing thirst for Real's tenth European Cup title.

First up for the Spanish giants is Turkish side Galatasaray, who will be banking on two things - the experience of the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba, and that immense partisan home support.

Bale announced himself as a Real player by netting a goal on debut. On Tuesday, he will be getting his wish of playing Champions League football - the pinnacle of the European club game.

Ronaldo should also be in a better mindset now having sorted out his future and the Portuguese on his game is a scary thought for any defence - even if they are being roared on by thousands of fans behind them.

Carlo Ancelotti is yet to stamp his authority on this Real team and they have at times struggled to put in convincing performances in La Liga.

The draw against Villarreal over the weekend ended their 100 percent record and the experienced Italian manager will expect a much better performance from his side.

The last time the two sides met was in the quarterfinals of last year, with Galatasaray very nearly pulling off an upset in the second leg, and the Turkish side's manager Fatih Terim is hoping for a similar performance.

"Despite losing to Real Madrid in the quarterfinals last season, we played very well in the second leg," Terim said. "This is not a knockout game this time. If we lose, nobody can say Galatasaray will fail to qualify for the next round because we'll have five games more after that. But if we win, we'll have a good advantage.

"Real Madrid have bought a lot of important players this season with high price tags like Gareth Bale's. And they already have superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo who is one of the best players in the world with (Lionel) Messi. They already have (Angel) Di Maria, (Sergio) Ramos, (Karim) Benzema...

"But we want to achieve success at home, everyone knows the atmosphere our fans can create. We can stand up against any team any time. Playing from the heart is very important at this level."

Team News: Iker Casillas comes back into the side with Carlo Ancelotti set to use the Spanish international for the European games in favour of Diego Lopez.

"I prefer Casillas in UEFA Champions League games because he is more experienced," Ancelotti said. "Diego Lopez will play in the Liga this season. I expect Casillas will give a good performance tomorrow (Tuesday)."

The left-back problem still exists with Fabio Coentrao and Marcelo out injured, while Xabi Alonso is a long-term casualty. Alvaro Arbeloa, though, returns to the squad after missing out on the weekend.

Hamit Altintop is out for Galatasaray, while Selcuk Inan and Semih Kaya are doubts.

Where to watch

The game is scheduled for a kickoff on Wednesday morning (12.15 am IST) with it being telecast Live on Ten Action.

Expected lineups: Real Madrid: Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Nacho, Modric, Khedira, Bale, Isco, Ronaldo, Benzema.

Galatasaray: Iscan, Eboue, Kaya, Chedjou, Balta, Emre, Baytar, Melo, Amrabat, Yilmaz, Drogba.

Prediction: 3-2 to Real