Champions League preview: Real Madrid set their sights on the Decimotercero
Real Madrid return to Champions League action today as they host APOEL. Can they defend their 2017 title?
The first ever back-to-back champions will be looking to make it three in a row, starting their journey in Group H.
Los Blancos will be hoping to hit the ground running tomorrow as they face APOEL, which should not be too difficult for the Spanish giants. After dropping points in LaLiga two weeks in a row, today’s contest will be a great step forward in rejuvenating the spirit and fight into this Madrid side.
Though this match may not be the most difficult of matches, Real should make it a priority to grab all three points as their peers in Group H will make winning a much harder task. Having been placed into the Group Stage of this UCL season with Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund, Madrid will have to fight tooth and nail and may be able to expel the constant assumption that they are always given an “easy” group.
The last time Real and APOEL met was in 2012 of the quarterfinals in the Champions League, which was a Cinderella run for the Cypriot side that ended in an 8-2 thrashing on aggregate in favor of the Spanish side.
Madrid, of course, are Champions League juggernauts whereas their opponents are mere minnows in comparison.
Despite their small stature, APOEL had a decent amount of success in the Europa League last season where they reached the Round of 16. Having returned to the most elite football competition in the world, they will hope to better the efforts of their 2011-2012 UCL campaign.
Last Time Out
Real Madrid 1-1 Levante (LaLiga)
Real Madrid were hoping to recover from their draw against Valencia where Marco Asensio was the saving grace, unfortunately, the same result ensued against Levante with a 1-1 scoreline.
Real conceded first but were able to come back through Lucas Vasquez scoring to give Los Blancos a goal in their 71st straight match. Not only was the result a disappointment as Barcelona sits pretty in the top spot five points ahead of Real Madrid, but Karim Benzema suffered a thing injury and will be out for 4-6 weeks.
Nea Salamis 1-4 APOEL (Cypriot First Division)
APOEL have only just played their first match in their domestic league this past Saturday as their first two fixtures were postponed due to their participation in the playoff in the Champions League.
APOEL’s goalie slipped when Boy Waterman was unable to control a simple back pass from his defender to give Nea Salamis their only goal of the match.
After that though, APOEL dominated to close out the game.
Lineups
Real Madrid
Manager Zinedine Zidane will be putting his strongest lineup out based on whoever is available to him. With the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid will come out guns blazing.
Ronaldo will be looking to pick up right where he left off prior to his five match ban and ignite the flame under his teammates once again.
APOEL
Going up against such a power house, APOEL will be putting their very best out on the pitch in hopes that Real might sputter against them as they have in La Liga.
In playing a 4-4-2 they are most likely going to be playing defensively and hopefully in a disciplined manner as to control the damage that may come.
Key Battle
Much like many games where Ronaldo is present, he is the main man, as the same will hold true in this match. The Portuguese star will be coming out of the gates at full speed having missed a few weeks of football now.
Ronaldo vs. the APOEL goalkeeper, Boy Waterman, will be the key matchup as he tries to hold the GOAT out of the back of the net. Ronaldo will be looking to extend his 106 Champions League Goal record against the small side.
Talking Points
As Isco returns as a starter, he will be looking to make his case to Zidane to get the start in the next round of LaLiga. Isco will look to break down APOEL from midfield to defense with darting passes and a quick spread of play.
With Marcos Llorente looking quite nervous against Levante, Zidane will most likely opt to bring back Casemiro as the first line of defense as well as being a great passer of the ball.
Goals, goals, goals, this, of course, is the objective of the game but Real has been lacking them since the start of the league season. The new age Galactico’s, Bale and Ronaldo, will be striking from all areas of the pitch in hopes of building up a tally.
Prediction: Real Madrid 5-0
To think that tomorrow’s match will be anything short of an absolute massacre is blasphemous. Real Madrid will be pounding that Champions League ball to a pulp in an effort to score as much as possible and keep possession like a boy and his favorite toy car.
Every year in this competition is different but the constant factor is the heart of the Madrid players and letting up against a small side club is just not an option.
Next: Is Real Madrid’s La Liga title defense already in jeopardy?