Real Madrid vs. Malmo Champions League Preview, Predictions, Stream, Lineup, Schedule
Will the real Cristiano Ronaldo please stand up?
Real Madrid faces a tough test on Wednesday when it visits Swedish club Malmo in its second Champions League tilt of the season.
Los Blancos came away with a 4-0 win in their opener over Shakhtar Donetsk but few would call it a vintage performance for the club. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick in that game, including two penalty goals, but he has not scored since.
It will be huge for the superstar to put together some goals as he looks to get out of his current slump. Once regarded as the best goalscorer in the world, Ronaldo has instead started conversations about his decline and is currently in the shadow of Robert Lewandowski who is not only the leading scorer in Europe across all leagues, but also in the Euro Qualifiers.
While Ronaldo managed eight goals in two games, Lewandowski scored 10 over three and with fewer shots at goal.
Ronaldo is undoubtedly struggling to get over the hump of topping Raul's 323 goals to become Madrid's greatest scorer. Ronaldo is stuck on 321 and had as many as 14 shots on goal against Malaga this past weekend to break the jinx. His failure drew headlines and now it will be on the superstar to end the draught and regain his top form.
Despite the 14 misses, the positive thing is that Ronaldo even had that many chances, proving that he is finding a way to get on the end of his teammates passes and putting himself in positions to score. Few would claim that Ronaldo's failures against Malaga were the result of selfish plays; they were just poor finishes undoubtedly brought on by the stress of passing Raul.
Which Ronaldo shows up on Wednesday? The lethal scorer or the current shadow of his best self?
Prediction: Madrid wins 3-0 and Ronaldo scores two.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST
The game can be viewed on Fox Soccer 2 Go.