APOEL vs. Real Madrid: UCL Match News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Real Madrid will qualify for the knockout stages of this season's UEFA Champions League if they defeat Cypriot champions APOEL in their penultimate Group H fixture on Tuesday.

Los Blancos have two games left in the group stage to overturn the three-point deficit separating them from leaders Tottenham Hotspur, who are responsible for their only loss in Europe this term.

APOEL have won their last two league fixtures, while Real were held to a 0-0 stalemate in the Madrid derby on Saturday, when they faced rivals Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium for the first time.

Zinedine Zidane's side won't revere Tuesday's opponents in the same way, but with crucial points and a round-of-16 spot on the line, this will be considered a must-win game to prevent third-place Borussia Dortmund climbing back into the qualification discussion.

Read on for a preview of Tuesday's European encounter, complete with all the latest team news and live-stream information.

Date: Tuesday, November 21

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus

Live Stream: BT Sport app (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.), fuboTV (U.S.)

TV Info: BT Sport Extra (UK), Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)

Team News

Gareth Bale missed Saturday's draw against Atletico through injury and has not made the trip. He's joined on the sidelines by captain Sergio Ramos.

An inadvertent boot to the face from Atleti defender Lucas Hernandez broke Ramos' nose and forced him to come off at half-time on Saturday, and the club's official Twitter feed confirmed he was not in the squad for the trip to Cyprus:

Goal's Ben Hayward reported prior to Saturday's derby that while Real playmaker Mateo Kovacic and goalkeeper Keylor Navas have returned to training, both require more time to get their fitness back up to scratch.

Preview

While APOEL may not seem like the most intimidating of foes in Group H, their performances in the Champions League appear to have grown at least steelier as the competition has advanced.

In a way, Real have APOEL to thank for making their route towards the round of 16 that much simpler, with ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan noting the significance of their back-to-back draws with Dortmund:

That being said, Real would be unwise to think qualification was theirs already, and La Liga writer Rik Sharma couldn't help but critique Saturday's display at Atletico, which was far from confidence-boosting:

It's been a difficult period on the road of late for Real, with the European champions having failed to clinch a victory in their last three away fixtures, losing at Girona and Tottenham before Saturday's stalemate.

Los Blancos may not need to be at their best in order to progress in the Champions League and at the same time oust APOEL, but swift improvements wouldn't go astray in Nicosia.