Champions league: Group C: REAL MADRID vs. LAZIO

Real Madrid are flying at the moment. They come into this final group C match at the Bernabeu stadium as confident La Liga leaders, and at the weekend notched up their eleventh league win in fifteen league games with a very complete performance away to Athletic Bilbao. At home their results have been even more impressive. They have won their last fifteen games in front of their own fans and I can’t see Lazio doing much to change this. The Italian side needs a win and hope the other group match between Olympiacos and Bremen ends in a draw.

I can’t see Madrid throwing away this opportunity to qualify for the next round of the Champions League. They should really have secured passage in the last game away to Bremen, but their away form in the year’s competition has been a bit frustrating where they have only earned two points from a possible nine, including a two-two draw against the Italians. However, I doubt if Lazio have the fear power to win this match, especially when Madrid have Iker Casillas in goal. His form this season has been a key factor in Real Madrid’s return to form, pulling off some breath taking saves and helping maintain the team’s conceded goals to a minimum. But it doesn’t stop with Casillas; practically the whole squad has responded and is in their best moment of form, especially Pepe, Van Nistelroy and the ever present Raul, who is La Liga’s top scorer at the moment.

Lazio are having a scrappy season so far. They are twelfth in the Serie A league and seventeen points from leaders Inter after fourteen games, as well as being bottom of their Champions League group at the moment. I doubt very much whether Lazio has it in them to beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. The Spanish club’s home form has been astounding and they should win with ease.

Prediction: Home win (3-1)