IN BRIEF
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti
Group stage performance: 1st (WWWDLW - vs Celtic, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk)
UEFA Champions Leagues/European Cups: 14 (1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1959/60, 1965/66, 1997/98, 1999/00, 2001/02, 2013/14, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2021/22)
Last season’s performance: Winners
SO FAR…
Real Madrid cruised to top spot in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, beginning the defence of their 14th European title with three successive wins to kick off the campaign. They were fortunate to avoid defeat in Poland against Shakhtar Donetsk, though, and then did get beaten by RB Leipzig but Los Blancos managed to comfortably hold on to first place.
Carlo Ancelotti can be described as ‘European royalty’ given the fact he has won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League on six occasions as a player and manager, twice as a player with Milan and twice as manager as well as a further two times at Madrid.
However, Ancelotti’s side and their stumbling performances in the aforementioned group stage against Shakhtar and Leipzig are a sign of Ancelotti’s style of management. A laid back and relaxed off-pitch approach with a more pragmatic and reactive on-field philosophy.
Throughout Madrid’s recent dominance of European football, whereby they have won five trophies in less than eight years, they have always remained fallible and somewhat beatable. The UEFA Champions League is about the big moments and, almost without fail, Madrid always somehow come out on top in those moments.
WHAT ARE REAL MADRID’S CHANCES IN THE KNOCKOUT STAGES?
That fallibility is once again being shown this season, though. Weaker sides in La Liga have found it easier to take advantage of an inconsistent defence without the protection of Casemiro, who joined Manchester United in the summer.
They have fallen a fair way behind Barcelona at the top-of-the-table in Spain and pressure, despite winning the double last season, is mounting on Ancelotti, such is the way of things at the Bernabeu.
All of these things that are being mentioned, though, as well as Karim Benzema’s injury record and average form this season combined with the eventual signs of age in Luka Modric’s performances would suggest Real Madrid can be ruled out of genuinely going for the cup this time around… but ‘never write them off’ has never applied more to a team than this era of Madrid.
Whilst there are genuinely serious issues in defence, with poor form from Antonio Rudiger and persistent injury concerns over David Alaba, and in midfield with Eduardo Camavinga converted to full-back, Fede Valverde’s form dropping off a cliff, a lack of Casemiro and the decline of both Modric and Toni Kroos, and up-front with no cover for Benzema; Madrid still have outstanding quality littered over the pitch and focused on Vinicius Junior.
ODDS TO WIN THE 2022-23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 12/1
Odds used are the best at Oddschecker at the time of writing