Real Madrid's squad list for a Champions League semifinal first leg showdown with Bayern Munich on Tuesday has three big surprises.

The 14-time winners of the competition are ready to travel to Bavaria at the turn of next week and are on a high after securing a 14-point lead at the La Liga summit.

This was done by beating Real Sociedad 1-0 on Friday in Anoeta, with Arda Guler scoring the only goal of the game in the first half while head coach Carlo Ancelotti made a number of rotations to rest several key players.

Illnesses suffered by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo also resulted in last minute tinkering after they both missed training the day before.

Originally, after coming down with gasteronitis, Bellingham was missed off the squad list for La Real while Rodrygo's looked to have a seat on the plane to San Sebastian.

Hours ahead of kick off, though, Rodrygo was cut because of battling flu, while Bellingham joined the squad and watched the action in the Basque region as an unused substitute.

Though the first last four showdown with Bayern is still two days and change away, Madrid has already published the squad list for it.

Rodrygo and Bellingham's names are now there in unison for all to see, but there are two big surprises on the document routinely uploaded to social media.

Though they aren't expected to feature in any fashion at the Allianz Arena, Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba have been included in their first 2024 squad list.

Courtois suffered an ACL rupture in training approaching the first matchday against Athletic Club back in August and had a planned comeback halted by a knock in his other knee suffered in training last month.

Ancelotti confirmed that he could play against Cadiz in his Real Sociedad pre-match press conference, but Alaba isn't expected to be in line for minutes until October at the earliest.

In any event, both men will be there in the locker room to boost morale, in an occurrence also seen when a suspended Aurelien Tchouameni travelled to Manchester for the UCL quarterfinal second leg that Madrid won on penalties.

This time round, Dani Carvajal will follow Tchouameni's lead and fly to Bavaria despite picking up one two many yellow cards at the Etihad.