Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Marseille | UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

Four games into the new La Liga season, Real Madrid are preparing to enter a new competition for the first time this campaign and it is none other than the UEFA Champions League.

Having learnt their eight opponents for the league stage late last month, Los Blancos are now set to take part in their curtain-raiser for the new season and it is against Olympique de Marseille at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men have been in mixed form in their domestic league so far, winning two and losing two of their first four games in the competition. Their two defeats arrived against Lyon and Rennes while their triumphs came against Lorient and Paris FC.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Olympique de Marseille.

Lessons must be learnt from last season

Real Madrid are usually the kings of Europe and have their UEFA Champions League campaign under control irrespective of their situation in other events.

Last season, however, the men in white uncharacteristically charted out their path to progression in the competition to the most complicated route possible and it is clear that there are lessons to be learnt.

Despite having a reasonably simple run into the knockout stages, Los Blancos made their own lives miserable by losing to Lille, AC Milan, and Liverpool. The result, unsurprisingly, was that the men in white were no longer in a comfortable position in the standings.

One year later, there is more clarity over the requirement to seal qualification in the new format of the Champions League and Real Madrid must learn that there is not too much room for error.

With the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, and Benfica as upcoming opponents, games like tomorrow night become all the more important for Real Madrid to qualify directly into the top eight.

Avoiding the extra qualification round by finishing between 9 to 24, after all, is crucial for a team with as much quality and as hectic a schedule as Real Madrid.

Two welcome returns to the squad

Camavinga and Bellingham are back. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Earlier today, Real Madrid officially released their squad list for tomorrow’s game against Marseille and two names caught the eyes of fans – Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham.

The Englishman underwent shoulder surgery in July and was expected to be out of action for three months, thus missing Real Madrid’s games until October or possibly even November.

His persistence, dedication, and extensive commitment to returning early, however, helped him hasten the healing process and he is now back in the squad for Real Madrid for tomorrow’s clash.

Camavinga, meanwhile, has been out of action since the tail end of last season and even missed out on the FIFA Club World Cup through his setback. Just when he was close to a return in August, he suffered another injury. Now, though, he has been given the all-clear.

Neither Camavinga nor Bellingham are expected to start, but both players have what it takes to establish themselves as regular starters under Xabi Alonso and will look to make the most of whatever few minutes they receive tomorrow.

Familiar territory for the in-form man

The man headlining the Spanish media game after game for Real Madrid is Kylian Mbappe, and the player is now beginning to grow into his role and shoulder more responsibility for the Merengues.

Mbappe has been in red-hot form for Real Madrid so far this season, scoring six goals in four La Liga appearances so far and also netting two goals on international duty for France earlier this month,

At this point, the Frenchman is one of the most in-form strikers in world football and the player will look to keep his form rolling as Real Madrid enter a new competition for the first time under Xabi Alonso.

Interestingly, the opponents Los Blancos face tomorrow night are no strangers to Mbappe for he has faced Marseille multiple times during his time in the Ligue 1. In fact, he boasts of a great record against Real Madrid’s upcoming opponents.

In the 16 games he has played against the French outfit over the years, Mbappe has found the back of the net ten times across his stints with Monaco and PSG. Needless to say, he will fancy his chances of extending that record tomorrow night.

The spotlight, thus, will shine bright on Mbappe when Real Madrid take to the field against Marseille tomorrow night and it will be interesting to see if the player can keep up his consistency in Europe.