Real Madrid FC vs FC Zürich Preview 25/11/2009 Champions League - Group C

After the difficult period that saw Los Merengues get eliminated from Copa del Rey by Alcorcon and just one point from two Champions League games against Milan, Real have rediscovered their form and in the perfect moment as well.

Real Madrid FC vs FC Zürich Preview 25/11/2009 Champions League - Group C

After climbing to the top of Primera, Real want to secure the place in the Champions League knockout stages with a win over Zurich. The Swiss side suffered a humiliation loss in Marseille in the last round and they are now looking to spring a surprise at Santiago Bernabeu.

Real back on track

After the difficult period that saw Los Merengues get eliminated from Copa del Rey by Alcorcon and just one point from two Champions League games against Milan, Real have rediscovered their form and in the perfect moment as well. After the Zurich game, Manuel Pellegrini’s side are set to face Barcelona in El Classico and while the players will be thinking about that match, we expect them to take the Zurich game seriously as well. The hosts will be looking to finish the job early on and finish the game without too much effort, thus we are likely to see a couple of early goals from Los Merengues. Sportingbet pays 2.40 on Real to score over 1.5 goals in the first half.

It’s been a while since Real have last time topped Barcelona and team’s current position in Primera is a big boost for everyone at the club. In order to enter the big derby against Barcelona in good spirits, Los Merengues need to beat Zurich and to beat them convincingly if possible. The good thing is the boss has almost no injury worries, with both Guti and Van Nistelrooy set to return to contention, while even Ronaldo has started training and he may be introduced later on in an attempt to gain match fitness. Gonzalo Higuain is set to start alongside Benzema up front and with the Argentine in very good form lately, we see a good value in backing Higuain to score at odds of 2.10 offered by Bet365.

Zurich looking to make amends for the 6:1 defeat at Velodrome

The Champions League campaign is starting to take its toll on Zurich, who are sitting in 8th place in domestic league, while they are struggling in Europe as well. They did surprise Milan away from home but lost all the remaining games and the odds are they will finish the campaign at rock bottom. Zurich, nevertheless, have more potential then they are showing and they managed to score three goals in the first match against Real, thus you should know Sportingbet pays 1.95 on Zurich to score.

Boss Bernard Challandes is missing striker Johan Vonlanthen through thigh injury, but defender Philippe Koch and midfielder Silvan Aegerter have resumed training and they will be fit to play. The visitors are expected to line up in 4-2-3-1 formation with Alphonse as a lone striker, while Djuric, Margairaz and Mehmedi providing support from midfield.

Betting verdict

Real are the favourites here and they are expected to win the match but it is important to know that Los Merengues have been far from impressive lately and that they are unlikely to give their best with El Classico just around the corner. This is why we can rule out a big home win and our advice is to back Zurich with +2.25 Asian handicap

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Our tip: Bet 5 on Zurich to win with +2.25 Asian handicap
Odds 11/10 at
Bookmaker: Ladbrokes



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