It’s win or bust for Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League game against Inter Milan
As we gear up towards match-day three of this season’s UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid are surprisingly among the teams that are yet to record a win in the competition.
Real Madrid's form in Europe has been totally miserable thus far. The Spanish giants currently sit at the bottom of Group B, which also contains Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Los Blancos lost 3-2 to Shakhtar in their opening game in the Champions League, having conceded all three goals in the first half of the match.
The team’s dire form in Europe continued into their second group game, where they had to come back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw away at Monchengladbach. With just a point from two games, it’s now win or bust in match-day three.
Zinedine Zidane’s side faces a tough task with Inter Milan visiting the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium on Tuesday. Real Madrid and Inter were tipped to battle for top spot in Group B, but both have flattered to deceive so far.
Not only are they both winless, Inter and Madrid also occupy the third and fourth place respectively, while Shakhtar interestingly tops the group. For Real Madrid, though, anything less than a win against the Serie A side would be unacceptable.
Los Blancos have been underwhelming since clinching a record 13th UEFA Champions League title in May 2018.
The team hasn’t made it past the round of 16 in the last two editions of the competition, suffering eliminations at the hands of Ajax two seasons ago and Manchester City last season.
Fortunately, Inter are also not in the best of form at the moment. The Serie A side is a point above Real Madrid in Group B, but has won just once in its last six games.
It’s a run that includes four draws, pointing to the lack of attacking potency of Antonio Conte’s side. That, though, does not mean Real Madrid will have an easy pass against the Nerazzurri.
Los Merengues have equally lacked firepower upfront and, barring the weekend’s 4-1 thrashing of Huesca in La Liga, the team has struggled for goals this season.
"I know there is talk about us needing to change things in the squad, but what I see inside is that everyone wants to win and compete, and that is very good for the coach, who is me at the moment,” Zidane said, as quoted by Goal.
"I enjoy all of my players and we are going to try with everyone to achieve the objectives," the Frenchman added.
Zidane made his name as a specialist in winning the Champions League. However, anything less than a win against Inter could push Madrid towards the Europa League, rather than another victory in European football's premier club competition.