Yan Diomande has all the necessary attributes to be a long-term success at Real Madrid, Martin Demichelis declared ahead of the winger's reunion with RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

Madrid and Leipzig will face off at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on matchday three of the 2026-27 Champions League, with Diomande going up against some familiar faces.

He only left the Bundesliga club for Madrid in August, with the Spanish giants shelling out €140m including add-ons after seeing off competition for his signature from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain. 

The Ivory Coast international has been in excellent form since the international break, scoring his first two LaLiga goals in victories over Villarreal and Sevilla.

He has five goal involvements for Madrid this season across all competitions (two goals, three assists), with only Kylian Mbappe (13), Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler (six each) boasting more for Jose Mourinho's men.

And ahead of Diomande facing his old club on Wednesday, Demichelis said he only wished he was able to work with the jet-heeled winger properly, having taken charge just a few weeks before his departure.

"I couldn't enjoy him much! I had been named Leipzig coach in July and he was at the World Cup, so I know Yan more from watching him on television than from being able to enjoy him on the pitch," Demichelis told AS.

"He is one of those players today who can make a difference both on the left and on the right, thanks to his great control of the ball with both feet. 

"At a great club like Madrid, I have no doubt that he is going to have great coaches and great team-mates, but it will depend a bit more on him, on his desire for self-improvement."

 Diomande  #LaLigaHighlights https://t.co/jGffBk02ii

— Real Madrid C.F.  (@realmadriden) October 20, 2026

But it remains to be seen whether Diomande will start against Leipzig, as Mourinho confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Vinicius Junior – who is currently serving a four-match ban in LaLiga – will return to his lineup on the left flank.

Mourinho said: "Vinicius is going to play on the left wing. Yan doesn't know if he's going to play or not."

This will be the fifth Champions League meeting between Madrid and Leipzig, with the German side only winning one of the previous four (D1 L2) – 3-2 at home in October 2022.

Madrid lost both of their games against German opponents in last season's Champions League, home and away against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. They last lost three consecutive European games against German teams between May and April 2002.

And Madrid are looking to make history by scoring in a 45th consecutive home game in the Champions League, with their current 44-match streak being the joint-longest in the competition, alongside another identical run by Los Blancos that ended in 2018.