The league phase of this Champions League campaign has brought some unexpected events, but one of the biggest surprises is that there’s a possibility that Real Madrid won’t qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament as they host RB Salzburg on Tuesday. It’d be a total disaster for Los Blancos if they failed to advance but with three losses already in the league phase, it’s a very real one.

They will be facing an RB Salzburg side that is close to being eliminated from making the knockout phase themselves after conceding 18 goals so far in the League Phase. With the match taking place at the Santiago Bernabeu, this provides Real Madrid a chance to run up the score in an attempt to climb the table as they can no longer afford missteps in this tournament.

How to Watch and Odds

• Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu – Madrid, Spain
• Live Stream: Paramount+
• Odds: Real Madrid -1600; Draw +1100; RB Salzburg +3000

Storylines

Real Madrid: After going top of La Liga, Real Madrid have managed to put a poor loss to Barcelona behind them to focus fully on triumphing in Champions League play. Lucas Vazquez is suspended due to yellow card accumulation but for a rare time this season, Carlo Ancelotti’s men haven’t picked up new injuries to deal with in this match. With Kylian Mbappe beginning to find his form, there will be ample firepower available to penetrate the Austrian side’s defenses.

Predicted XI for Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Lorenzo Aguado, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe.

RB Salzburg: Looking to stay in the running for the knockout stage, Salzburg must bring their best to face Real Madrid. No strangers to Champions League play, achieving a result in Spain will be one of their toughest tests yet. Throwing everything forward may leave their defense susceptible in what could be a straightforward win for Madrid.

Predicted XI for RB Salzburg: Janis Blaswich, Aleksa Terzic, Kamil Pitakowski, Samson Baidoo, Leandro Morgalla, Nene Dorgeles, Mads Bidsturp, Nicolas Capaldo, Moussa Yeo, Petar Ratkov, Oscar Gloukh.

Prediction

A brace from Mbappe will help Real Madrid maintain pace with the top teams. The top eight may be out of reach, but they can still secure a seeded position in the knockout phase. Pick: Real Madrid 4, RB Salzburg 1.