Real Madrid vs Olympique Marseille Prediction 16.09.2025 | UEFA Champions League

Record 15-time winners of this competition, Real Madrid will be desperate to atone for last season’s underwhelming Champions League campaign, where they fell well short of their lofty standards.

Real Madrid’s inability to break into the top eight consigned them to the play-offs, where they did enough to progress, but their UCL campaign ended abruptly in the last eight as Arsenal overpowered them with a convincing 4-1 aggregate triumph.

The dawn of the Xabi Alonso era has made an immediate impact, with Los Blancos flawless under their new coach after racking up four straight La Liga victories that have propelled them to the summit of the standings.

As they aim to carry their impressive domestic form into Europe, Real Madrid will have to do without Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, and star man Jude Bellingham, all sidelined with injuries.

Among the elite clubs to lift the prestigious "Big Ears" trophy is Olympique Marseille, who stunned Europe in their debut 1992-93 season by clinching the Champions League with a 1-0 triumph over Italian giants AC Milan in the Munich final.

Since that unforgettable title-winning season, Les Olympiens have struggled to make a significant impact in subsequent UCL editions, rarely reaching the knockout stages, and this year’s return marks their first appearance on the European stage in three years.

Despite an inconsistent start to their 2025-26 Ligue 1 campaign, with two wins and two losses from their opening four fixtures, Olympique Marseille delivered a massive confidence boost and sent a strong warning to Madrid by dismantling Lorient 4-0.

Igor Paixao, who joined Marseille from Feyenoord this summer, finally made his debut over the weekend after a muscle injury kept him out of the first three matches, while Amine Gouiri’s availability remains uncertain following his 44th-minute withdrawal due to injury.