Real Madrid | vs | Olympique Marseille |
| Date / Time: | Competition: | Live / Repeat: |
September 30, 2009 - 2:45pm | UEFA Champions League | Live |
Real Madrid top Group C with three points and a difference of three goals following their 5-2 emphatic victory against FC Zurich a fortnight ago. Meanwhile, Marseille suffered a cruel defeat in the hands of AC Milan at the San Siro on Match-day 1.
Real may be want to more perfectSo it will be another trip away from the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos accomplished their mission in Switzerland on the first day of their Champions League campaign. Can they defeat the French and keep walking on the winning path?
Marseille showed a lot of strength defensively against the Rossoneri the last time out. Taye Taiwo and Gabriel Heinze were impressive and built a good work throughout the whole of the game. Unfortunately for l’OM, they broke down twice to AC Milan’s veteran striker Inzaghi.
The squad will look to build on more on their striking options. Mamadou Niang and Brandao need to take their chances in front of goal instead of splashing them like they did against AC Milan.
In midfield, the battle will be between Real Madrid’s Kaka and Marseille’s Lucho Gonzalez. The former Porto FC midfielder who was inches away from a perfect performance against Milan could correct himself on Tuesday night.
On paper, Real Madrid are favorites to come out of the clash as winners. However, despite the amount of superstars that Manuel Pellegrini possess in his squad, Real Madrid are somehow subject to caution.
Six Los Blancos sustained yellow cards against FC Zurich following a harsh performance from both the referee and the players on that night.
Something else that Real Madrid will try to maintain is their concentration. They almost threw away a three-goal lead against the Swiss when they conceded two goals in the space of two minutes.
Real Madrid’s on-fire player Cristiano Ronaldo is aware of this negative issue. Reflecting on Madrid’s loss of concentration in the second period against FC Zurich, Ronaldo stated a couple of weeks ago:
"We entered a phase in the second half that we cannot repeat in the future.”
Cristiano Ronaldo himself was terrific in match-day 1 of the Champions League. The 2007/08 European top scorer who has two goals this season in Europe is expected to prove his worth again in on Wednesday evening.
