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

Real Madrid have proven over the years that the UEFA Champions League is their playground and home territory.

Tonight, they return to action in the competition they have been known for, this time in the final game of the league phase.

Los Blancos have not enjoyed a campaign half as good as was expected from them with defeats to AC Milan, Liverpool and Lille hurting them badly. However, they do now have a place guaranteed in the playoff phase.

They travel to France for their final game of the league phase where they will take on Brest at Stade du Roudourou with the sole objective being to take three points.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Brest vs Real Madrid.

Playing for a favourable draw

Real Madrid’s win over RB Salzburg last week ensured Los Blancos place in the top 24, thereby removing any chance of them facing a shock elimination.

Concurrently, they have a very narrow chance of making it to the top-8 given that they are a whole point and eight places behind eighth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

A win against Brest tonight will keep the hope alive, but Real Madrid will require several other results to go their way which is highly unlikely.

Tonight’s game, thus, does not have any direct implication on Real Madrid’s route to the knockouts as it is very much likely that they will have to play in an extra knockout fixture to qualify for the Round of 16.

What they will be playing for, however, is a favourable draw going forward.

The draw rules ahead of the play-off stipulate that teams finishing ninth and tenth will face either of the teams that finish 23rd and 24; 11th and 12th facing either of the 21st or 22nd placed teams and so on.

It is thus in Real Madrid’s favour to finish as high on the leaderboard as possible, especially given that teams between 9th to 16th place will have the second leg at home.

Moreover, they will look to avoid finishing between 15th to 18th place (where they currently sit), so as to avoid facing Liverpool or Barcelona as early as the Round of 16.

Eyes on Mbappe once more

Kylian Mbappe is flying at Real Madrid after a rough start and finally looks to be back to his lethal goal-scoring self.

The Frenchman delivered his best performance yet in a Real Madrid jersey last week against Real Valladolid in La Liga, scoring a hat-trick and deciding the game on his own.

Vinicius Jr. was missing in action on the night as he served the second of his two-game suspension in La Liga. He will again be out of action against Brest as he is suspended, and the limelight will thus be on his French teammate.

In the absence of the Brazilian superstar, Mbappe will once again have the onus of being the sole main man in attack for Real Madrid.

Mbappe’s confidence has been growing with every passing game, as has his understanding with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes. A strong showing tonight will be a massive statement and a trailer of what is to come once Vinicius is back.

Opponents who cannot be discounted

Brest are amongst the least-known teams in this year’s UEFA Champions League as they have not been a regular in the event in any capacity. However, they have punched above their weight in the event.

The Ligue 1 side are currently placed 13th on the UCL standings, even ahead of Real Madrid who are in 16th place, and have 13 points in their seven games so far.

Brest lost their games against Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk in the competition, but took all three points against PSV Eindhoven, Sparta Praha, RB Salzburg and Sturm and even held the Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen to a draw.

Bestowed with the home advantage and with a playoff seat already in the bag, Brest will look to take full advantage and move higher up the standings. After all, they have a mathematically better chance than Real Madrid of making it to the top-8.

Carlo Ancelotti spoke highly of Brest and their attacking prowess in the Champions League ahead of tonight’s game, and it is clear that Real Madrid must exert caution to great capacity.