Real Madrid spent plenty of money in the summer to rejuvenate their faltering team. After falling way short of eventual Spanish and European Champions Barcelona last season Los Merengues forked out huge transfer fees on the likes of Ballon d’Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and
Kaka, while Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso also completed big moves to the Spanish capital. So far it seems to be working and Madrid sit top of their Champions League group table (albeit after just one game) and La Liga table (level on points but with a superior goal difference to Barcelona). Real will have another chance to prove their Champions League credentials when they face Marseille at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
The heavy favourites in this particular tie are Real Madrid with the Champions League betting odds. At 1/4 the bookies haven’t given Marseille much of a chance but they’ve enjoyed a decent start to the French season and sit third in the table having been beaten just once. Current manager Didier Deschamps has an excellent Champions League pedigree and once guided minnows Monaco all the way to the
final only to lose to Portuguese side Porto, managed then by a certain Jose Mourinho. Deschamps will now the task ahead of him is a great one but the Frenchman will not be daunted by the experience and I expect his side to compete. They have some quality players such as captain Mamadou Niang and striker Bakiri Kone, while former Real defender Gabriel Heinze is a familiar face in the Spanish capital. Midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa possesses plenty of guile and
may well be able to ruffle a few Real feathers.
It should be an excellent game full of attacking football as both sides tend to focus more on going forward than keeping it tight at the back. Real’s stars are undoubtedly the star attraction in this one and Ronaldo and co will cause the French hopefuls plenty of problems. I wouldn’t go as far as to offer a betting prediction on an upset but this is the kind of game players should relish and Marseille should go into this one fairly relaxed. No one is expecting them to get anything out of the fixture and that should allow them to play their own game.
As both teams like to get forward I’m hoping this one produces plenty of goals and talking points. Former Lyon man Karim Benzema will be eager to get amongst the goals against his old rivals and he could be a man to watch when the two sides meet. Cristiano Ronaldo is still searching for his top gear at his new home and the Champions League is the perfect place to display his considerable talent. With the world watching I expect Real to put on a show and take all three points off Marseille, but it may not be as easy for them as some expect.