Champions Real Madrid will begin their Champions League defence in Glasgow against Celtic on Tuesday evening, when the group stage begins and there is a lot of hope from their fans that Real will start with a win.
The club have won the Champions League five times out of the last nine editions. It is most likely they will remain one of the teams to beat this season and pundits are already predicting that Real Madrid will make it to the next round.
Madrid will play Scottish champions Celtic in their first Group F match, while Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City will embark on their latest quest to win European club football’s biggest prize for the first time.
They beat Liverpool in the final last year in a match that saw Real Madrid played with greater realism, containing the Liverpool team while the English club probably went into the game thinking they had already won the cup.
For coach Carlo Ancelotti, he is surely looking to maintain his grip on the trophy as a manager.
Celtic is playing a fast-paced football and its manager, Ange Postecoglou says he will not change his approach against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
He insists that greater risks can lead to greater opportunities. But against Real Madrid, it could end up in a disaster. However, this is football, anything can happen.
Celtic is in form, having defeated Rangers 4-0 to take an early five-point lead in the title race in Scotland.
Celtic’s quick-paced attacking style has resulted in 29 goals in eight domestic games this season, with only two conceded.
On the other hand, Liverpool says it got a major boost ahead of their Champions League match against Napoli in midweek in the group stage campaign.
Liverpool will be hoping to go one step further this season after falling at the final hurdle last year, losing in the final to Real Madrid.
They’ve received an early boost ahead of their match against Napoli, with Calcio Mercato reporting that Victor Osimhen is a doubt.
Osimhen is without a doubt one of Napoli’s standout players, having scored four goals in five Europa League games last season.
Will it help Liverpool which is struggling to regain last year’s consistency that led it to end as the very close runners up in the Premier League and helped it reach the final of the Champions League?