Real Madrid vs Sporting CP: Cristiano Faces Home Club
The Champions League kicks off this Wednesday. Here’s everything you need to know before the match:
Real Madrid are set to host Cristiano Ronaldo’s home club Sporting CP at the Santiago Bernabeu. The match will start at 8:45pm CEST. If you live on the east coast, that translates to 2:45pm. You can watch the match through ESPN
Champions League History
12 Sep 2000: Luis Figo (left) of Real Madrid gets past Rui Jorge (right) of Sporting Lisbon during the UEFA Champions League match at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal Photo taken by Nuno Correia Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport
More from The Real Champs
The last time these two clubs met was in the Champions League was in the 2000/01 season. Real Madrid tied the first leg 2-2 away at Lisbon.
They went on to win the second leg 4-0, with Guti opening the scoreboard in the 11th minute of a match where Real Madrid completely dominated the Portuguese team. Guti then assisted Savio for the second goal. Morientes went on to score the last 2 goals, with 100% of shots on target.
Zinedine Zidane hopes for a similar outcome tomorrow. Starting the Champions League right will be a step in the right direction if he hopes to be the first manager to win it twice in a row.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Frenchman had previously stated that he wanted to ease in Cristiano Ronaldo from his injury, but seems to have had a change of heart after Cristiano Ronaldo scored within the first 6 minutes of returning to the pitch.
When asked if the Portuguese forward would play the full match, Zidane responded with “[Ronaldo] is ready to play, he wants to play, the idea is that he plays the 90 minutes”
“If you ask Cristiano, he wants to play the 90 minutes. [Sporting] is his club, he came through there, it is normal that it is an unusual game for him. But he is very professional, he always gives everything on the pitch. Once the whistle goes he will be focused on what he has to do, as he always is on the pitch.”
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup
Zinedine Zidane has shown that he is a big believer in squad rotation this season. With James Rodriguez, Casemiro, and Marcelo being rested last week, as well as Benzema and Isco coming back from their injuries, you can expect a different lineup to that of Saturday morning.
Expect a holding 4-3-3 formation. Predicted Lineup: Marcelo, Ramos, Pepe, Carvajal, Isco, Casemiro, James Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
This article originally appeared on 
