The UEFA Champions League resumed yesterday, with a whopping 16 clubs opening the tournament and getting football fans entertained with their incredible displays. The likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid all claimed important victories yesterday and they will be looking forward to making a mark in the tournament this season.
LaLiga giants Real Madrid won the prestigious trophy last season, defeating Liverpool 3-1 in the final to make it 3 triumphs in a row, and they will begin their mission to defend the trophy when they face Roma at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening.
For the first time in almost a decade, Los Blancos will kick-start a European campaign in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo who left for Juventus this summer, and the match against Roma will give us suggestions of how they could cope in Europe’s elite tournament without the Portuguese.
3 Karim Benzema
French International Karim Benzema is gradually reviving his career this season having failed to reach his peak in each of the past few campaigns and falling under intense scrutiny for his mediocre performances during those years.
Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo who left for Juventus this summer, the striker has realised that he needs to step up and take up more goal-scoring responsibilities, and he has impressed so far, bagging an incredible 4 goals for Real Madrid in 4 LaLiga appearances.
2 Edin Dzeko
Another superstar to keep an eye on when Real Madrid and Roma lock horns in their UEFA Champions League opener at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening is Bosnian International Edin Dzeko.
The Roma superstar has been one of the top attackers on the continent for the past few years, producing spectacular displays in the tournament during the previous campaign and bagging an impressive 8 goals and 5 assists to push the Italian giants into the semi-finals.
1 Gareth Bale
The match against Roma represents a huge test for Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale as football fans wait to see if he could really step up for the European Champions in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo who departed the Bernabeu this summer.
Bale is a highly talented superstar with plenty of skills and incredible pace, highly efficient at counter attacks, and very strong in the air – making him a sure bet to give the Roma defenders plenty of work to do today.
Having started the LaLiga campaign in electrifying form – bagging an amazing 3 goals and 2 assists for the Spanish side so far this season, all eyes will be on the Welsh International to continue with his impressive form in the Champions League this evening.