By Neel Shelat
Salzburg’s shocking season so far
After Sturm Graz ended their decade-long Bundesliga-winning streak last season, RB Salzburg were expected to come back strong this term. Instead of competing for another title, though, they are currently on course for their worst league finish in two decades.
Ahead of the season, they hired former Liverpool assistant coach Pep Ljinders to lead the squad. He won less than half of the competitive matches he took charge of, so he was sacked back in December. The team has been away on a winter break since then, so new head coach Thomas Letsch will make his debut in charge of the club at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid’s shaky league phase campaign
Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League title defence has been anything but convincing so far. Even each of their three victories was far from straightforward as they needed a late winner to beat Stuttgart, had to stage a dramatic turnaround in the second half against Borussia Dortmund and just about got the better of Atalanta in a five-goal thriller. On the other hand, their three losses to Lille, Milan and especially Liverpool were not undeserved.
With two games to go, the defending champions will almost certainly fail to finish in the top eight to earn a direct spot in the Round of 16. At the moment, though, their biggest concern has to be sealing a knockout spot as they are barely in the top 24.
Of course, injuries have been a big factor behind Real Madrid’s struggles (though there are other issues too). The situation is not much better for this match as defensive midfielders Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga have joined Éder Militão and Dani Carvajal on the treatment table, albeit for a shorter period of time. Lucas Vázquez’s suspension for accumulating three yellow cards means Federico Valverde will be forced to join Raúl Asencio on the right side of the defence, so Dani Ceballos and Luka Modrić will likely start behind Jude Bellingham in midfield.
Los Blancos looking to avoid creating unwanted history
Real Madrid have an unmatched reputation for being serial winners and record-breakers. Their 15 European Cups and Champions Leagues are over twice more than any other team’s tally, and they also have a record nine FIFA Club World Cups in their sprawling trophy cabinet.
-However, they are fairly close to creating an unwanted piece of history this term. Chelsea’s group stage elimination in 2012/13 was the only time that the UEFA Champions League holders have not progressed to the knockouts, but that might well change if The Whites fail to win their last two games.
Prediction
The Santiago Bernabéu is hardly the best place to try out a new head coach’s tactics, so Real Madrid should get the better of Salzburg pretty comfortably.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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