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Carlo Ancelotti’s men begin their quest for ‘la decima’, the tenth European crown in their history. They will face Galatasary in the first group stage clash, who tasted defeat at the hands of Madrid last term in the quarter finals.
It could prove to be a potentially tricky trip to Turkey on Tuesday night, especially as Madrid hasn’t been playing that well at the start of the season.
A summer of fruitful signings at Madrid saw Isco, Asier Illarramendi and Gareth Bale, among others, arrive at the Bernabeu. No case could be stronger for Madrid to dominate domestically and in Europe than this one, having two of the world’s most expensive footballers.
Despite a good performance in Saturday’s 2-2 draw, Lopez will not be in the Madrid goal, being replaced by Iker Casillas. How effective would they prove in breaking Drogba and company?
The key battles to watch out:
Didier Drogba vs Sergio Ramos
Drogba, who made his debut in Europe’s elite club competition at the Bernabeu in September 2003 with Ligue 1 side Marseille, will look to exploit Madrid’s weakness from set pieces.
He will have to overcome Ramos, a mainstay at the heart of the Madrid defence, who must deal with Drogba’s physical threat.
Drogba, despite his age is every bit of a match winner. His biggest strength is scoring in the elite matches and carving out a win for his team.
Ramos will have to be on the top of his game to keep Drogba at bay, though this is the kind of battle Ramos would relish.
Felipe Melo vs Isco
Isco
New signing Isco has been instrumental for Madrid so far. Employed in the midfield, he possesses the ability to drift from center to left in order to create space for the likes of Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema, while trying to make late runs into the box get himself a goal.
The Brazilian Melo, who is fond of a yellow card, must not get booked early on or he might be facing an uphill task in containing Isco.
Sergio Ramos vs Burak Yilmaz
Burak Yilmaz
Although Sergio Ramos has spent most of his career bullying opposition strikers into submission, Burak is someone who could prove immune to his rough tactics.
The Spain international is also prone to the odd error and will have to be at his best if he is to keep the Galatasaray man quiet on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old has showed he is not only useful at holding up play with his strength and ball control, but is also lethal in front of goal.
Sabri vs Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
The danger man for Los Blancos is unquestionably Ronaldo, who has vowed to stay at Bernabeu till 2018, and has his mind set on the European crown for Madrid. Ronaldo can scare any defense with his dribbling antics and superb aerial prowess.
Galatasaray’s hopes may rest on another inspired performance from Sabri, who is regarded as an adventurous full-back who likes to attack, but he may have to give that up when he will most likely be up against the Portuguese star.
