With still a match against Borussia Dortmund to be played, Real Madrid won’t be taking any risk and try qualifying in the round of 16 against underdogs Legia Warsaw, which could be straightforward considering their 5-1 win in the reverse fixture. Real Madrid are currently level on points with Borussia Dortmund and a win here will make them group leaders.
Real Madrid are on a 5-match winning streak in all competitions and will be having supreme confidence when they visit Legia.
Legia have lost all of their matches in Europe so far. They have conceded thirteen times in their first three matches and will be dreading the visit of Real Madrid. While Real are undefeated in their last 7 matches in the UEFA Champions League and will be confident of keeping that run going. Legia have scored just once in their last 3 UEFA Champions League games and even though the Real Madrid aren’t at their best defensively, they are not expected to threaten the Los Blancos defensively.
Team News
Real Madrid- Real Madrid will continue to miss their star players and will be without Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Sergio Ramos who will all miss the welcome of Legia Warszawa. Pepe is injured, so Nacho will be in the defence with Raphael Varane. The Champions League title holders thrashed Alavés at Mendizorroza on Saturday with a hat trick scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Legia Warszawa- In terms of injuries, Legia should have a fully fit squad to choose from. But, they won’t have supporters behind them as UEFA have find the Polish side. The game will be played in an empty stadium.
Team Lineup
Legia Warszawa (4-5-1): Malarz; Hlousek, Czerwinski, Rzezniczak, Bereszinski; Moulin, Jodlowiec, Guolherme, Odidja-Ofoe, Radvoic; Nikolics.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Marcelo, Nacho, Varane, Carvajal; Kroos, James, Asensio; Bale, Cristiano, Morata.
Key Players
Real Madrid- Cristiano Ronaldo will come to the match after scoring a hat-trick against Deportivo Alaves and will look to continue his form, increasing his goal tally in the Champions League. Alvaro Morata has been good form this season, being a regular name on the score sheet for the past few matches and Zidane could choose him over Karim Benzema in the starting lineup.
Legia Warszawa- Despite being a weak team comparatively, Legia have two advantages. One is their injury-free squad and the second is Madrid’s weak defence. They had many chances to score at Bernabeu and will surely get in this match too. Legia striker Nemanja Nikolic has scored 6 goals in 13 appearances and will be highly relied upon to score in this match. The right winger, Guilherme, has also been decent this season with 3 goals and 3 assists.
Odds
Legia Warszawa @ 28.1
Draw @ 11.1
Real Madrid @ 1.10
