The Underdogs
Real Madrid are always expected to win. In the rare instances that they aren’t, they are expected to fight with everything they have.
The legendary Santiago Bernabeu said it best; “The Real Madrid shirt is white. It can stain of mud, sweat and even blood. But never of shame”.
The only thing more dangerous than playing against Real Madrid is playing against them when everyone has already counted them out.
We saw it recently with PSG but we have seen it in the memorable UEFA Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in 2014. 92:48. That was the exact minute of the game where Sergio Ramos showed that until the final whistle, Real Madrid should never be counted out. That’s the spirit the Los Blancos players have whenever they take the pitch against a team that is expected to beat them. They may not always end up victorious, but they’ll surely fight tooth and nail and leave knowing that they gave everything they possibly could.
This season, Real Madrid are not the favorites to win the competition. It’s arguable about which team could be considered most likely but it’ll probably be a toss-up between Bayern Munich and Manchester City. There is a strong possibility that Los Blancos could face one of the two European giants or at least go up against Chelsea or Liverpool. All four of those teams may be considered favorites against Real Madrid. It’s one thing to be a favorite on paper and a very different thing to try making it real on the pitch.
The team may not be at their greatest moment right now but they definitely have what it takes to cause a few upsets along the way.