Following a 4–0 drubbing suffered against rivals Barcelona on their home field, Real Madrid aim to return on the winning track when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk today, Wednesday, at the Donbass Arena for Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League action.
The tough defeat versus Blaugrana in La Liga was also the second consecutive for Los Blancos in league play as they also lost to Sevilla 3–2 beforehand.
Following the tough setbacks, Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez believes that his players still support him and also denied a rumored conflict between him and club star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, BBC Sport reported.
According to the report, Benitez had this to say regarding his players, "I am absolutely confident that players still trust me."
On his rumored rift with Ronaldo, Benitez stated, "This is not true. Cristiano is an important player to our team."
The 55-year-old manager also expressed confidence that he will not be sacked because of their consecutive losses to Sevilla and Barcelona.
Currently, Los Blancos lead the Group A of the Champions League with 10 points in four games played, and have not lost a single game in the competition.
A win this Wednesday will give Real 13 points which will solidify their claim of the top spot, since following them are Paris Saint-Germain with seven points.
If Real Madrid are coming off a loss, Shakhtar are heading to Wednesday's matchup with a win over Malmö FF (4–0) in their last Champions League outing. The win was a bounce back performance since Shakhtar lost in their first league match against Malmö FF (1–0) last October.
Despite the victory, Shakhtar are still third in Group A of the Champions League with three points, same point tally with Malmö FF. An upset win over Real Madrid from the Ukrainian club will give it six points and will break its tie with Malmö FF.
The Champions League match between Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk will be today, Nov. 25, at 3:45 p.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
