Champions League: Real Madrid’s Title Defence starts here  

Real Madrid vs VfB Stuttgart

The Champions League is back folks and do we have a cracker in store for you on Tuesday when the reigning champions tale on VfB Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men are aiming to win a record 16^th triumph in Europe’s flagship competition. And this is a new era for the Champions League where 36 teams will play in more games than ever before in a new league format. The pre-tournament Champions League 2024 betting odds make Los Blancos the second favourites to win the competition at a price of 4.30, with Manchester City the perennial favourites at 3.10.   

Sebastian Hoeness led VfB to second place in the 2023/24 Bundesliga and he will hope that the club’s return to Europe will be a successful one and, with Los Blancos, Juventus and Europa League champions Atalanta to face in their opening fixtures, the German side has an exciting few weeks to come.      

 

Talking Points

Guler’s midfield role for Blancos

2024 champions Real Madrid are blessed with an array of attacking talent and the addition of Kylian Mbappe to the forward group of Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham is quite frightening to their La Liga rivals. And Ancelotti hopes they will be good enough to outwit Manchester City in Europe again this year. Mbappe is the second favourite to win the Golden Boot behind, wait for it, Erling Braut Haaland. The Frenchman is at a price of 6.00 while City’s goal machine is at 3.80 and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane is in pursuit.

 

So to integrate Turkey’s Euro 2024 star Arda Guler into the line-up is something of a challenge. Ancelotti slotted the 19 year old into a midfield position, alongside the veteran and skipper Luka Modric, and he looked like he’d been there for years. His accomplished performance was hugely impressive as he added poise and control to the exciting skills he displayed in Germany. With very quick feet and a superb passing range Guler could be the natural successor to Modric when the Croatian Peter Pan eventually hangs up his boots but for now Ancelotti has an embarrassment of riches.

Vinicius and Mbappe converted a penalty each as Los Blancos won away to Real Sociedad at the weekend and with three wins and two draws they are on the heels of early leaders Barcelona. But for now, Champions League 2024 results are on the agenda and Ancelotti’s all stars will be ready.     

 

Strong start for Demirovic

The sale of last season’s top scorer, Serhou Guirassy, to Borussia Dortmund, understandably had VfB fans wondering where the goals would come from this season, but new boy Ermedin Demirovic has allayed some of their concerns with three goals from his first three Bundesliga campaigns and another in Stuttgart’s 5-0 DFB Pokal win over SC Preussen Munster. He scored 23 goals in 63 games for FC Augsburg before making the move in summer and the 26 year old Bosnian put in a superb performance to score a brace in VfB’s 3-1 win over Borussia Monchenglagbach at the weekend. Demirovic linked up superbly with Number Ten Denis Undav who was also on target against Die Fohlen and Hoeness has high hopes this will be a fruitful partnership.

Further back, captain Atakan Karazor will play a pivotal role in front of the back four in a game we expect VfB will have plenty of defending to do, while 6ft 5in centre back Jeff Chabot will hope to dominate.   

 

History

As European royalty Real Madrid have faced 15 different German teams over the years but this is the first time they have met Stuttgart. And this is VfB’s first game in the Champions League since 2010, when they were beaten 5-1 on aggregate in a Round of 16 clash against Barcelona. The Bundesliga side are winless in their six matches against Spanish opposition.

In contrast, and logically, Los Blancos have lost just one of their last 21 games against German sides, winning 14 and drawing six and losing only away to Red Bull Leipzig in October 2022 by a 3-2 score line.  

They both come into the game in good form, Madrid are unbeaten this season, while Stuttgart have won three of the last four after recovering from an opening day defeat to SC Freiburg. And Ancelotti’s side are unbeaten in their last 34 matches at the Bernabeu   

 

Betting Tip

At 1.25 to win the hosts are red hot favourites to start their 2024/25 Euro campaign with a victory, while Stuttgart are priced at 7.24 and the draw is 5.32, and the most likely score line is a 2-0 win to Madrid at a price of 7.72.

Welcome back to the Champions League Stuttgart…enjoy it while it lasts! 

   

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