Gladbach to boot Real out of Europe altogether
Things could not be more on a knife-edge in Champions League Group B. All four teams can still qualify to the knockout stages or be content with a place in the secondary competition, the Europa League, in 2021. Real Madrid have never failed to progress from their pool in every single previous season, but they not only need to better Shakhtar Dontesk's result with Inter to prevent the unthinkable, they must also overcome a Borussia Mönchengladbach that are no shrinking violets, and who top the group going into this crunch clash. Zinedine Zidane's job, and far more, are on the line for the hosts. Read our preview here:
Júnior, Senior
Similarly to Manchester United in the Premier League, fans must wonder which Real Madrid are going to turn up week by week. Beaten in their own backyard by the likes of Cádiz and Alavés, even at their best, they are a far cry from their recent zenith. Zidane must once again cope without Eden Hazard, whilst defensive mainstays Dani Carvajal and captain Sergio Ramos are both doubts for Wednesday night. however, it's difficult not to envisage the decorated head coach not rolling the dice and risking his key men in what is easily the biggest match to date this season. One of the chief candidates to come in for the Belgian superstar is 20 year-old Vinícius Júnior. Few would doubt the Brazilian's talent or credentials, but he has yet to truly shine in the white and gold of the world giants. He'll need to make runs beyond Karim Benzema from the left flank to put his adversaries under the maximum pressure possible. He's unlikely to contribute meaningful going back towards his own goal, so more faith must be put in a suspect backline to soak up whatever Gladbach can and will throw at them. If there ever was a time to take the cudgels for Júnior, it's now.
Quite some Pléa
Die Fohlen are not visiting the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu to merely admire the facelift the stadium is currently receiving. Head coach Marco Rose will be cognisant that, whilst a draw would be sufficient to book passage, playing for a draw against even the current Real Madrid would be a dangerous game. Instead, he'll persist with the double pivot to both rob and in turn recycle possession from the hosts, and should also be able to welcome back influential stopper Nico Elvedi to the back four. Marcus Thuram, son of legendary World Cup winner Lilian, will be tasked with bringing the ball out of the middle third of the pitch to assist Alassane Pléa in stretching Los Blancos. The latter's ability to hold off his marker and pass the time for runners from the attacking midfield trio to get up alongside him in support will be crucial in relieving the bombardment they're certain to come under.
A Real wound
The aforementioned 'Alamo' plays into the visitor's hands the longer they are able to resist. Zidane is under immense scrutiny at the time of writing, and even a win will not necessarily guarantee top spot and the avoidance of a 'harder' opponent in the last 16. Instead, his focus should be on patiently breaking Gladbach down, but he simply doesn't have the individuals that need to be firing on all cylinders to do that at present. Back when the draw was decided, an argument could've been made that it was a case of which out of Inter and Real would come first and which second. Now, there's the looming prospect of neither qualifying from a fascinating pool full of twists and turns. betway are offering odds of 5.00 for the German outfit to triumph in what would be an earthquake in European football.
