Real Madrid might actually be better off if their fellow Spanish teams don’t progress in the Champions League.
Los Blancos are the only one of the five Spanish teams to have already booked their place in the Round of 16.
Barcelona likely need to beat Bayern Munich away from home in their final game, needing to match Benfica’s result against Dynamo Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid need to beat Porto and hope AC Milan don’t beat Liverpool.
Sevilla simply have to beat Salzburg in their final game, while Villarreal have it a little easier, heading to Bergamo needing to draw or win against Atalanta.
But for Real Madrid, they might just be better off if their fellow Spanish teams cannot get a result.
Looking ahead to the draw for the Round of 16, teams from the same country still can’t be drawn against one another.
If Real Madrid can draw or win against Inter Milan tonight, they would get top spot in their group and be drawn against a non-Spanish runner-up in the next round.
If, for instance – and admittedly this is unlikely – all of the Spanish teams go through, Real Madrid would have be given the possibility of playing PSG, Juventus or Sporting CP – a tough crowd.
But if it proved to be the opposite and all of the Spanish teams were eliminated, Real Madrid would have the added possibility of playing against Benfica, Atalanta, Salzburg and Porto.
That would make it a far more favourable draw, though, of course, there are more scenarios that could come into play if one, two or a different combination of Spanish teams did manage to reach the next round.
And, not forgetting, there is also the added bonus for Real Madrid, of watching a couple of their La Liga title rivals play an extra round of fixtures should they drop in to the Europa League.
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