Real Madrid and FC Basel are playing on the UEFA Champions League group schedule on Tuesday and the match is from Santiago Bernabéu at 2:45 pm ET on Fox Sports 1, Fox Soccer 2Go and the WatchESPN website and the defending champs come in after a loss in their league and now Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale will try and start things off in the UCL with a victory.
Real Madrid comes in after losing to Atletico Madrid in their last La Liga match and that was a rematch of the Champions League final from last year. Real Madrid comes in at 13th on the league table and they have group matches against Liverpool, Ludogorets and Basel for the Champions League opening stage after the playoffs.
Real Madrid won the title last year over rivals Atletico Madrid and that was the first matchup of teams from the same city for the title. Ronaldo had a goal in that game and he also was huge throughout the final run as the team made it to the championship. The team fell to Atletico in La Liga and this was a chance to get one ahead of them and now the defending champs will have targets on their backs as they start off this tournament in the group stage. Real Madrid comes into the game a bit down on the La Liga standings and they have the chance to bounce back after their loss to Atletico on the schedule coming into the game.
The team will be one of the favored ones in the group stage and they have as much star power as anyone. The team added Toni Kroos and also James Rodriguez and that came after the major move with Gareth Bale last year. The WatchESPN coverage will be in Spanish and with Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso gone, Real Madrid will be looking to start off quick with a positive performance.
The Real Madrid and Liverpool match is one that everyone will be looking towards and that comes a bit later in the group stage. That game will have major stars with Ronaldo and Balotelli and that could be one of the top matchups of the group stage. The team has an easy schedule coming up in La Liga and that will give them a chance to keep climbing the table.
Rodriguez came over from Monaco after his amazing run at the World Cup and now he will bring that to the Champions League. The team comes in after losing two of the last three matches and those were the first three in La Liga play and now they are trying to turn it around. James scored in the 1-1 draw in the Super Cup match against Atletico and now the team will try and get it going in the UCL.