Estadio Santiago Bernabeu forms the backdrop as Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk meet in the Champions League group phase for the third season on the bounce.
Real Madrid’s Champions League title defence has been off to a flyer as Carlo Ancelotti’s men have won both opening Group F matches by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ including a 2-0 humbling of RB Leipzig at this venue. ‘Los Blancos’ are enjoying a six-match winning streak in the Champions League group stages, their best form since a run of ten between November 2013 and September 2015. On top of that, after a pair of H2H defeats in the 2020/21 season, Madrid breezed past Shakhtar in both last season’s group meetings via an aggregate score of 7-1. Yet, Karim Benzema’s late miss from the spot in a 1-1 home La Liga draw with Osasuna at the weekend knocked ‘Los Merengues’ down from a 100% start to the 2022/23 season (W9).
In the meantime, visiting Shakhtar Donetsk dismantled Leipzig 4-1 on day one and held Celtic to a 1-1 draw last time out to seize control of the coveted runner-up spot. But the Ukrainians, who thumped fellow Premier League rivals Metalist Kharkov 6-1 at the weekend, can ill-afford to rest on their laurels. With three points separating them from third-placed Celtic, Shakhtar’s bid to progress beyond the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2017/18 is far from a foregone conclusion. But it’s worth noting that the Ukrainian champions have gone unbeaten in competitive action since November 2021. Neutrals should be in for a treat here, considering all three of Shakhtar’s previous Champions League visits to the Bernabeu have featured at least three goals.
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