Intro

 

 

The most successful team in the history of the Champions League has already achieved the impossible by winning the biggest prize in club football for the last three seasons. Could they do it again this year?  For a team loaded with so many world-class players, it would be difficult to deny that they can. What they do not have this time around is the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid's all-time leading goal scorer has dominated the competition, and in each of Madrid's four Champions League wins in the last five season, CR7  finished as the tournament's top scorer.

 

Replacing a once in a generation talent was never going to be easy. What made it doubly difficult for Los Merengues was the departure of another legend in his own right, Zinedine Zidane. After a historic playing career, Zidane decided to make the transition into coaching. What a decision that turned out to be. Zidane in just two and a half years as the manager of Real Madrid won a total of nine trophies, that's a trophy every 17 games in charge. Zidane left the Madrid job as one of the most successful managers in Champions League history, no manager has more than his three European titles. 

 

Florentino Pérez started the rebuilding process with the controversial hiring of then Spanish national team manager Lopetegui days before the start of the World Cup. The timing of this announcement saw Lopeteguil lose the Spain job before the World Cup kick-off. 

 

Lopetegui's expertise with the handling young players made him seemed perfect for the next phase of the club. Perez and the club have been planning this for quite some time. In the last six seasons, Real Madrid has bought a whopping 27 players at an average age of about 21 years old. While this fit looked understandable from the outside, the shoes of Ronaldo and Zidane were just too big to fill and with the club languishing in 9th place in La Liga Perez pulled the plug on Lopetegui's time in the Spanish capital. 

 

Santiago Solari has restored some respect to the badge since coming in at first interim and now permanent manager. The club is climbing the table with each week, but there is still much work to do for this transitional Real Madrid group if they are to become European Champions for the 14th time. 

 

One team that definitely knows about working with developing players is Ajax. The Amsterdam club is littered with academy players and always have been. Ajax's history suggests that many of these players would be future stars for other European teams. Young Frenkie De Jong has already put pen to paper for Real Madrid's eternal rivals FC Barcelona and Ajax captain, golden boy winner Matthijs de Ligt is expected to make his move soon. This particular group are the nearly-men of Dutch football finishing runners up in the Eredivisie for the last four seasons as well as falling in the Europa League final to Manchester United in 2017.  The additions of Dušan Tadić, Daley Blind, this season and former Madrista Jan Klaas Huntelaar last, was an attempt to give some guidance to this young group. It has worked somewhat as Ajax have been unbeaten in this seasons Champions League picking up draws both home and away against Bayern. But a round of 16 exit to the defending champions might be the furthest this group can go.

 

 

 

 

 

Predicted Line-up-Ajax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Predicted Line-up-Real Madrid