Can Real Madrid Become the First Team to Defend the Champions League Title?

Real Madrid aim to win the Champions League again to become the first team to win it in 2 consecutive years in the tournament’s history.

The European Champion Club’s Cup was introduced in the football world in 1955 and was replaced by UEFA Champions League in 1992. Real Madrid have won the tournament 10 times which makes them the most successful club in European football. However, EU gambling news report that no team managed to defend its title ever since the tournament has got its new name.

That is the record that Real Madrid will aim to break this season. The title holders are still in the race in the top 8and will face the city rival Atletico de Madrid for qualifying to the semi-finals. Their goal will be to eliminate the arch nemesis and keep up the chance for making history.

Real Madrid could not defeat Atletico in the past 6 games

These two teams have faced each other in last year’s Champions League final where Atletico took the lead in the first half but the Royal Club equalized in the 93rd minute. In the extra time, Galacticos managed to score 3 goals breaking Atletico’s chances to win and setting the final result to 4-1. That was the 10th Champions League trophy that Los Blancos have won throughout the history of the tournament.

However, these two teams have met each other six times ever since that memorable clash. They played in the Spanish Supercup, which ended by 1-1 in Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and Rojiblancos won 1-0 in the Vicente Calderon. After that, on 13 September, Real Madrid hosted the city rival again in La Liga seeking revenge for the Supercup failure, but the red-white team won 2-1.

The Royal Team was given another chance to avenge their previous missteps by meeting Atletico again in the Copa del Rey. They didn’t manage to overcome this time either, Atletico won 2-0 at home and tied by 2 goals on the second leg. The latest clash between the two sides took place at Vicente Calderon in February and it was a memorable night for supporters of both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti’s men suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Diego Simeone’s side.

Bookmakers believe in Real Madrid’s qualification even though the poor form

The Royal Club will travel to the other part of the city on 14 April and will host the opposition on 22 April. Galacticos are once againgiven the chance to prove themselves better than Atletico. Online sportsbooks in EU believe that Real Madrid are favourites for the clash, setting the odds for Los Blancos’ qualification at 1.50 (1/2) while that of Rojiblancos are 2.60 (8/5) by Bet365.

• Atletico are underdogs against Real Madrid
• Barca and Bayern are main favourites
• Galacticos need to return to top form

Motivation plays a very important role in football and Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be more determined than they have ever been due to the embarrassing 4-0 defeat. Nevertheless, their job will not get any easier in case they manage to qualify for the next round. Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich are favourites for making it to the semi-finals as they will face PSG, AS Monaco and FC Porto respectively in the quarter-finals.

However, Real Madrid would most probably be regarded as underdogs if they faced Barcelona or Bayern Munich in the next round. These two teams are the main candidates for winning the golden medal as their odds are 2.75 (7/4) for the Bavarian side while 3.50 (5/2) for the Catalan side. Should Real Madrid win the title, bookmakers would be willing to pay out with the odds being 5.00 (4/1), making the Royal Team the third favourite for the triumph.

Real Madrid can pick up the winning form if the injured players recover

If the Royal Team want to defeat their title, they will need to pick up the form they had during their winning streak of 22 that started in September and ended with the FIFA Club World Cup final. Los Blancos were believed to be invincible due to the constant performances and the confident wins. They even defeated their greatest rival, FC Barcelona by 3-1 during this series.

Online gambling sites in Spain report that the declining form of the capital side is due to the fact that many of Real Madrid’s key players have suffered grave injuries. For example, Luka Modric was ruled out for 3 month and just returned against Schalke, while vice-captain Sergio Ramos has been forced out of the field for 6 weeks. They both have returned by now, however, the newly acquired James Rodriguez also got injured and is expected to play again in the beginning of April.

In addition, Real Madrid’s attacking trio, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo (the BBC) lost their effectiveness and missed way too many clear cut chances in the past few matches. Now the Royal Team’s supporters hope that the injured players will recover quickly and that all the players pick up their best form. If that happens, Galacticos will have every chance to win titles and become the first team in football history to win the Champions League in 2 consecutive years.