Real Madrid have been behind Barcelona on all counts this season, notably trailing the Catalans by six points in La Liga.
However, the club from the capital will have a rare opportunity to move ahead of Barcelona in the league table of the Champions League, if they secure a victory against RB Leipzig.
Speaking ahead of this game, Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos has sounded out a fresh warning to Leipzig, who have endured a poor start to the campaign.
Kroos’ warning to RB Leipzig
Coming on the back of a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich, Kroos didn’t mince his words when it comes to warning Leipzig heading into the Real Madrid game.
Leipzig got dominated by Bayern in the last match. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
The former German international stated clearly that Leipzig may get thrashed again if they once again fail to react well to a quality team.
“Now they’re going to Madrid. It will be exactly the same there as in Munich. If they don’t start reacting in matches like this, if they don’t put up a fight, if they don’t show more confidence from the beginning, they’ll get thrashed again,” he said (h/t Diario AS).
Kroos seemed particularly disappointed at Leipzig with the way the team performed against Bayern Munich, adding that smaller teams tend to perform much better.
“Other teams with less ambition have behaved differently, even against Bayern,” the Real Madrid legend added.
How have Leipzig performed this season?
The pressure is mounting on RB Leipzig boss Martin Demichelis. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Leipzig have started the season with three wins in six Bundesliga matches and are currently seventh in the league table, lagging behind the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
In the Champions League, they got thrashed 4-1 by Como in their first match before securing a 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven. Tonight, they face Real Madrid, in what could prove to be another long night for Martin Demichelis’ men.
However, it won’t be a complete walk in the park and Real Madrid must still be careful, as Leipzig boast the services of some of the most talented players in the Bundesliga.
All eyes will be on Yan Diomande, who will be facing his former team for the first time after making the €140 million switch to Real Madrid in the summer.
Leipzig scout who found Diomande has already backed the Ivorian winger to succeed at the Bernabeu and it will be interesting to see if the player can sustain his form against his former club tonight.