Real Madrid is celebrating its return to good form despite placing low in the Champions League and failing to avoid a possible playoff against Manchester City. Madrid's slow start in the European competition kept the defending champion from going straight into the round of 16 — and possibly set up an encounter with Man City in the playoffs.

The two European giants know City are struggling but will still have a sense of dread at maybe having to face Pep Guardiola’s men

The UEFA Champions League's first-ever league phase came to a dramatic close on Wednesday, setting up for an equally entertaining knockout stage that begins in two weeks' time. The introduction of the new format means the Champions League will introduce a new phase of competition in February when 16 teams will take part in the knockout round playoffs.

It took champions Real Madrid time to click into gear this season but they visit Espanyol on Saturday in La Liga sitting top of the table.Key stats 9 - Alaves veteran Kike Garcia is the top Spanish scorer this season across the big five European leagues 13 - Rodrygo has nine goals and four assists in his last 11 matches for Real Madrid 17 - Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski is the league's top goalscorer,

Kylian Mbappe may not have scored last night in Real Madrid's 3-0 Champions League win over Brest, but his form has been red hot over the last several games. Be

As Real Madrid prepare for their Champions League finale, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague looks at how the defending champions have found their form.