Having a set up the Last 16 with the top spot already sealed, Carlo Ancelotti has this week came out and said that Real Madrid’s attention has ventured into the realms of the World Club Championship. This is a tournament which has for some time now, been held in high regard this year by the Galacticos, however this is yet another game where Real Madrid can set a new record for successive wins by way of a Spanish club.
Having won all five games in their UEFA Champions League Group has indeed brought about the run of eighteen successive wins for Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid and in addition to this, ensures they can alter several things in this game. They’ve won both home games inside the Group and this means Real Madrid have won their last ten home encounters when playing in Champions League ever since the 1-1 draw with Man Utd.
Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo 3-0 when they met at the Barnabeu in the weekend’s La Liga tie which made it eighteen consecutive wins and they’ve got another record on the go having won eight back to back at the Santiago Bernebeu. A slight concern facing any team set to visit Real Madrid whilst they’re in such prolific form is definitely the sheer volume of goals they’ve been scoring of late. All in all, Real have successfully netted 32 goals inside their eight match run at home.
Worth noting for Real Madrid is that Sergio Ramos will miss the match due to suspension, a key member of the team. A few other high profile ommissions due to injury include Luka Modric, Samir Khedira and James Rodriguez.
Ludogorets News
Hopes were kept alive for the Bulgarian side when a late goal against Liverpool FC on Match Day 5 gave Ludogorets the opportunity to continue their European adventure entering 2015, however that definitely won’t be in the UEFA Champions League. That result has meant that they cannot overtake either Basel or Liverpool FC into second spot, although a famous win at Real Madrid along with a winner in the other game played will mean Ludogorets will finish 3rd inside the Group.
They may also transfer to the Europa League with a draw in this game, so long as Basel beat Liverpool at Anfield, but Ludogorets will at least experience playing at one of the more famous venues in European football. Ludogorets were near to a famous draw at Liverpool inside the Group, but were heavily beaten in Basel that has to generally be one of the teams concerns heading into this match.
Although ever since that 4-0 defeat at the hands of FC Basel, Ludogorets are in actual fact unbeaten in their last 5 games in every competition and they have won consecutive games which has led to some momentum into this encounter. It’s been more difficult for Ludogorets away from home this term since they have suffered defeats from 3 of their last 7 when away from home, since they have lost their last 3 away games in the Champions League.
Mihail Alexandrov, a player who has been quite instrumental for the Bulgarians is a heavy doubt for this game, and Roman Bezjak has been ruled out.
The Live Betting Team Match Prediction
We can try to find as many positives as we can muster for Ludogrets, but they are essentially up against one of the biggest powerhouses in professional football today. The hope is to see a resilient Lodogrets team who can rise to the occasion, although the likelihood is that Real Madrid will take this game in their stride.
We will give the Bulgarian side the benefit of the doubt that they will net a memorable goal, although at the expense of three to Madrid. We envisage the scoreline to be Real Madrid 3 – 1 Ludogrets.
Head on across to any of the below bookies to get your bets on ahead of tonight’s game. The odds with William Hill are currently priced up as 11.00 for a 3-1 win to Madrid.
