Every season for the last six seasons Real Madrid have started their Champions League campaign with hope and expectations but have consistently failed to get past the Round of 16 in a competition that they have won nine times. This year is no different as once again Madrid are being counted as one of the favourites and to win their tenth European Cup.
But with Jose Mourinho in charge and a bunch of young and hungry players in the squad, there is a reason for the Madridistas to be confident. Los Blancos haven't exactly lightened up the Spanish Primera Division but with four points from two matches they are ahead of Barcelona in the table.
Mourinho won the Champions League with Inter last season, masterminding the defeats of Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich on the way, and he believes that "this edition will be a very open, with six or seven clubs who will compete for the title."
Much of Madrid's success in the Champions League as well as the league will depend on their star player Cristiano Ronaldo, who himself admits that they have to take it slowly if they aim to win the most coveted of club competitions this season.
"This club, as always, has the ambition to win the Champions League," Ronaldo is quoted as saying by Realmadrid.com. "I have a special feeling about this season. We can win, but we cannot put pressure on ourselves. We have all the necessary ingredients to win the competition, but we have to take one step at a time."
Back In The Big Time
Dutch powerhouse Ajax are back in the Champions League for the first time in five years and indeed playing at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening will be a special occasion for them. Once a European powerhouse, de Godenzonen have suffered of late but they will be keen to put things on track.
The clash with Madrid will also mark the debut of manager Martin Jol in Europe's premier club competition - not exactly something that infuses confidence given that his counterpart on Wednesday will be arguably the best coach in the world at the moment - Mourinho.
Ajax skipped past the challenge of Dynamo Kyiv in the play-off round to qualify for the group stage and they do have some very good players, some of whom featured in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa for the Netherlands.
TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid
Star player Ronaldo has recovered his fitness and will start against Ajax as he started against Osasuna on Saturday. Midfielder Kaka is a long-term injury concern while centre-back Raul Albiol too is out. Fernando Gago and Ezequiel Garay are sidelined as well. Mahamadou Diarra is in the process of recovery.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Casillas, Ramos, Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo; Alonso, L. Diarra; Ronaldo, Oezil, Higuain; Benzema
Ajax
Jol is likely to go with his accustomed 4-3-3 formation with a three-man attackline. However, striker Luis Suarez is suspended for the match and so is defender Jan Vertonghen.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Stekelenburg, Van der Wiel, Alderweireld, Ooijer, Anita; De Zeeuw, De Jong, Enoh; Sulejmani, El Hamdaoui, Emanuelson
Prediction
The win against Osasuna showed that under Mourinho Madrid aren't going to be very pretty - at least not in the immediate future - and that defensively los Blancos will be impenetrable. A sole goal for Madrid will do the trick for them but they have to be careful against Ajax's attack.
Real Madrid 1-0 Ajax 
