Real Madrid take on the visitors Marseille in the round 1 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Tuesday, September 16th at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).
Real Madrid are always aiming for the highest possible results. And despite winning nearly everything in 2024, subsequent failures (being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Arsenal and being comprehensively beaten by Barcelona on all fronts) were not forgiven even for Carlo Ancelotti. He was released to Brazil national football team at the end of spring. But his successor, Xabi Alonso, despite getting plenty of new signings already in June, performed rather underwhelmingly at the FIFA Club World Cup. However, in La Liga, after adding a few more players, the “Galacticos” have indeed started the new campaign confidently with several wins — while in parallel the “Catalans” have already dropped points. In the previous round, against Real Sociedad, they won again, though veteran defender Antonio Rüdiger picked up an injury. Real have now won six of their last seven league matches, scoring at least twice in five of them. Their home form has also been excellent, with four straight victories at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
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Marseille are off to a shaky start. “Olympique” often get caught up in scandals and internal conflicts. But while the season before last ended with them missing out on European competitions entirely, 2024/25 was a breakthrough. It was well-prepared too, as Roberto De Zerbi was lured in as head coach, and several new signings joined the squad. As a result, the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss guided his new side to runners-up in Ligue 1 — only Paris Saint-Germain picked up more points. Everything seemed to be going smoothly in the summer again, and the squad was reinforced further, including the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But after losing the opening match to Rennes despite having a man advantage, players got into a dressing-room brawl. The instigators, Morgan Roux and Adrien Rabiot, were quickly sold to the first bidders. Even so, after a 5-2 win over newcomers Paris FC, they lost again, this time to Lyon. In September, they finally had no issues against Lorient — winning 4-0. Marseille have struggled for consistency, alternating wins and losses in their last five matches. They have also been poor away from home, losing three of their last four road games.
The Spaniards and the French have already met in the UEFA Champions League — in 2003 and 2009. On all four occasions, the “Los Blancos” emerged victorious. The French side have far too many problems. So they are unlikely to show much in the Spanish capital. The bet is on Kylian Mbappé and company to win with a “-1.5 goals handicap.”
Prediction for the match: Real Madrid to win with -1.5 handicap.
