Actual Madrid have already secured their place within the subsequent spherical of the UEFA Champions League, however they now face an important activity — bettering their present place to keep away from a difficult Spherical of 16 matchup in opposition to one among Europe’s high groups.
Presently sitting in sixteenth place, Actual Madrid are set to qualify for the following section, which supplies them the benefit of taking part in the second leg at residence.
Nonetheless, their potential opponents shall be decided by a draw. Groups ranked between ninth and sixteenth shall be positioned in a single pot, whereas these ranked from seventeenth to twenty fourth shall be in one other.
Within the second pot, golf equipment like Juventus (seventeenth), Benfica (twenty first), and Paris Saint-Germain (twenty second) are contenders. Manchester Metropolis, who’re at present twenty fifth, might additionally enter this group in the event that they beat Brugge (twentieth).
There may be threat at each nook
The competitors stays extremely tight, making these early knockout ties extremely unpredictable. Within the rankings, Liverpool and Barcelona at present lead.
Liverpool solely want a draw in opposition to PSV to keep up their high place, whereas Barcelona are in an analogous state of affairs.
A draw in opposition to Atalanta can be sufficient to safe second place, due to their superior aim distinction of +15, in comparison with Arsenal’s +12 and Inter’s +7.
Actual Madrid will go to Brest this Wednesday, the place the French facet have already assured their place within the Spherical of 16, sitting one level forward of Madrid.
What does Actual Madrid want?
Successful in Brest would assist Los Blancos keep away from an early conflict with dominant groups like Liverpool or Barcelona. A draw would nonetheless go away them vulnerable to dealing with a formidable opponent.
To climb greater within the standings, Madrid would want a number of groups to slide up. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, for example, are anticipated to win their respective residence matches in opposition to Slovan Bratislava and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Aston Villa, internet hosting Celtic, and Lille dealing with Feyenoord even have beneficial probabilities. Madrid’s path stays tough, however they are going to be decided to keep away from a dangerous fixture by securing the very best end in Brest.
