Can Real Madrid win back-to-back Champions League titles?

Since the beginning of the UEFA Champions League under its new format (1992-93), there has never been a single club capable of winning back-to-back titles. It's the pinnacle of all competitions and one that every player aspires to win at least once. Having already tasted success last year, Real Madrid are the ones who are now on the chase to try opening a precedent and lift the trophy for a second straight year.

The UEFA Champions League action returns right next week and this time around, we'll have 16 teams battling each other in order to advance into the final rounds of the tournament. Real Madrid are in pole position to retake their crown, together with the likes of other heavyweights such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Chelsea. The Merengues may have completed their group stage with a perfect record of 6 wins in 6 matches, but judging by their recent form coming off the Christmas break, there seem to be plenty of reasons for some skepticism to come to surface. Are Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid still capable of going all the way to glory in the UEFA Champions League this year, or will they be showing their first signs of weakness in Europe right against Schalke 04, precisely their first match-up in the last-16 knockout stages?

Real Madrid - La Décima: The Movie:

History was made last May, when Real Madrid finally captured their 10th European title with a nerve-wracking 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final in Lisbon. Sergio Ramos scored a dramatic equalizer for the Galacticos in injury time, before Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo put the outcome beyond doubt with goals in extra time, to give Real Madrid that much-coveted La Décima.

We fast forward to February this year and Real Madrid is once again laying the groundwork for another successful European campaign. They've dominated the group stages, winning all of their six games to top Group B with 18 points. They've been handed a favorable matchup in the knockout stages as a result, drawing German club Schalke in the round of 16. Sportsbook topbet.eu set the betting line at -1000 for Real Madrid to win their opening encounter in a couple of weeks' time, making them huge favorites to also advance into the next round.

The question now on everyone’s mind is if Real Madrid is capable of winning its 11th European Cup and claim back-to-back Champions League titles for the first time in its history. With the form that they are in right now, it's hard to tell... The winter break doesn't seem to have made any good to Real Madrid and since the beginning of the year, they already lost 3 times and drew once. They're out of the Copa del Rey and they've seen their lead in La Liga being cut to a single point.

Leading the charge for the Galacticos this season is none other than the reigning 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward is on course to match his 2014 tally of 61 goals, already scoring a total of 36 goals for Real Madrid this season. He has poured 28 of those in the domestic scene, as Real Madrid have stormed to the top of the La Liga standings with 54 points, one point clear of Barcelona.

He has been a force on the European scene as well, scoring a total of five goals in the group stages thus far this season, third-best in the entire league. Ronaldo lives for this type of competition, as evidenced by his Champions League-record 17 goals in this same tournament last season.

If Ronaldo does match the heights of his performances for Real Madrid last season, it's highly likely that the Galacticos will create further history and become the first ever football club to win back-to-back Champions League titles this season. One step at a time though and next on the list is Schalke 04...

Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be for the Spanish League against Deportivo La Coruña, on the 14th of February of 2015. You can watch Real Madrid vs Deportivo, Barcelona vs Villarreal, Liverpool vs Tottenham, Arsenal vs Leicester, and Stoke City vs Manchester City, all matches provided from our sports streaming section.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Deportivo kick-off time (14-02-2015):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+6: 23:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 18:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 17:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-4: 13:00
New York (United States) | GMT-5: 12:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-8 09:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+7: 00:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / sports.yahoo.com / realmadrid.com / foxsports.com

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