Real Madrid vs Sheriff Tiraspol predictions and match preview for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for the head-to-head, team news, predicted lineups and fantasy football picks as Los Blancos look for their second group stage win.
| Date | Tuesday 28th September 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Santiago Bernabeu |
| Competition | UEFA Champions League Group Stage |
Real Madrid vs Sheriff Tiraspol Preview
Real Madrid have what should be a very winnable home game in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night as they look to make it two wins from two against Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol. Madrid fans will be wary that they did slip up in what on paper were the easier games in last season’s group stage but a repeat looks unlikely here.
Overall it has been a really good start for Carlo Ancelotti with the Italian seemingly settling smoothly back into the job he previously held. The Italian will always be fondly remembered in these parts for delivering the elusive decima. Real Madrid have since added three more Champions League titles since number ten in Lisbon seven years ago but there are few people tipping them to make it 14 this season.
That to some extent eases the pressure on Ancelotti but the early signs suggest they may still be the most competitive of the Spanish teams. They sit on top of LaLiga with 17 points from their opening 7 games although there was a slight setback at the weekend in the shape of a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against Villarreal. Victory in Milan against Inter on MD1 in the Champions League has though given them a real platform to go on and potentially take top spot in this group which also features Shakhtar Donetsk.
Los Blancos won’t know too much about this week’s opponents. Based in the breakaway Moldovan state of Transnistria, Sheriff’s tale is a complicated one. They’ve won the Moldovan title in each of the last six seasons and have participated in the Europa League group stage previously but never the Champions League.
Based on the evidence of matchday one, they are not out of place at this level. They caused an upset by defeating Shakhtar 2-0 at home to put themselves in a position to compete in this group. They’ve since recorded 4-0 and 7-0 wins in their league and will certainly feel that their home games give them a chance to at least make 3rd place in this group but anything from their away trips, particularly this one, would be seen as a huge bonus for a side coached by experienced Ukrainian Yuriy Vernydub.
Head to Head
- This will be the first ever meeting.
Team News
Dani Carvajal is still out for Los Blancos. Toni Kroos and Ferland Mendy are nearing returns but may not be risked yet.
Lovro Bizjak is out for the visitors who aren’t likely to change much from their MD1 win.
Predicted Real Madrid Starting Lineup:
Courtois – Nacho, Alaba, Militao, Vazquez – Modric, Casemiro, Valverde – Vini, Benzema, Hazard (4-3-3)
Predicted Sheriff Starting Lineup:
Athanasiadis – Cristiano, Dulanto, Hurtado, Costanza – Thill, Addo, Kolovos – Velez, Yakhshiboev, Traore (4-3-3)
Real Madrid vs Sheriff Tiraspol Predictions
Score Prediction: Real Madrid 3-0 Sheriff Tiraspol
This should be a routine evening for Real Madrid, providing they treat the opposition with the respect a team at this level deserves. We saw some inexplicably poor home displays last season against in theory weaker teams but back under the lights on a European night at the Bernabeu for the first time in almost two years, you’d expect them to be focused here and they ought to be too strong for UCL group stage debutants.
Fantasy Football Picks
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Mark Sochon is an experienced football writer and editor of LaLiga Expert. Based in Madrid, he has covered La Liga and Spanish football for many years. He also covers Spanish and European football for Goal and Betfred, while his work has previously been published by the Guardian and World Soccer.