Club football was welcomed back this weekend after the mind-numbing three-week international break, and this week finally sees Champions League football return to the pitch. Real Madrid welcome back the Champions League with a trip to take on Roma, who dropped to third in Serie A after a 0-0 draw with Como in their first match back. This will be the first time since the 18/19 season the two clubs have faced each other, and it will be a major test for Mourinho and his men.
Real Madrid is filled with superstar power throughout the whole team, but Roma has their own group of stars that play well together as a team and are strong both in attack and defense, and could prove to be a tough nut to crack for Los Blancos. There are a number of battles on the pitch that will make the difference between winning and losing, and for Real Madrid, they must win those battles. Here are three key battles in Real Madrid's Champions League match against Roma.
The three battles that will decide if Real Madrid walk away victorious over Roma
Mourinho vs Gasperini
We'll start with the managers, Jose Mourinho and Gian Piero Gasperini. The two know each other well from Mourinho's time in charge of Roma, while Gasperini was still at Atalanta, as well as from other matchups throughout their managerial careers. They've faced each other 10 times, with Mourinho holding the advantage with five wins to Gasperini's two, with three draws between the two coaches. Each manager has their own way they like to line up and play, which could prove to be the difference between the two teams.
Mourinho likes to stick with his 4-2-3-1, whereas Gasperini goes with a more defensive 3-4-2-1, with his team comfortable sitting in their shape and defending, and that could prove to be trouble for Real Madrid, with the team struggling to break down teams in recent years. Roma are also a team that can press with high intensity, which could force errors out of Real Madrid when they try to play out from the back. How Mourinho will counter this will be interesting to see; maybe Bernardo Silva could come in to help break down Roma's stubborn defense, or maybe even a change of shape.
Arda Guler vs Paulo Dybala
Next we come to one of the most important areas on the pitch, and it's a place where, despite having incredible talent, Real Madrid have been struggling in recent season, creativity. Arda Guler has been Real's main source of creativity this season and has been in incredible form as one of the few consistent performers, and he will have to go one-up against his counterpart, Paulo Dybala, who has also been flying this season. The Argentine has grabbed four assists in seven games, and with Real Madrid's backline and midfield still looking shaky, he could take advantage of Real Madrid's weakness' which could cost them crucial points.
For Real Madrid's sake, they will be hoping Guler can win this battle and be the key player he has shown he can be in the early parts of the season. The Turkish international will be the main creator on the pitch, and as mentioned earlier, with Roma's stubborn defense, he will need to pull all the tricks out of his bag if he hopes to better the veteran Argentine and prove to be the stronger presence on the pitch.
Kylian Mbappe vs Donyell Malen
Lastly, we come to the strikers, and this is the battle that could determine who wins and who loses. Both strikers have been in flying form for their teams, with Mbappe grabbing eight goals so far this season to Malen's six, with both players being their teams' main source of goals, so if one has an off night, it could be the killing blow for their team. Mbappe is obviously the more technical and skillful player of the two; however, Malen has been in amazing form since joining Roma, which could prove to be trouble for Real Madrid. They conceded a number of chances to Lautaro Martinez in their first Champions League game this season, and Malen's similar size and pace could do the same to Los Blancos.
Throughout his career, the Dutchman has shown he's still able to get a goal against a team when they like to sit deep and defend, whereas Mbappe tends to struggle against the low-blocks due to the fact that he isn't a natural striker, and that could be something that causes Real Madrid trouble against Roma.
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