Real Madrid will look to continue their impressive start to their Champions League campaign when they travel to face Malmo.

Rafael Benitez's men defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 in their opener, while the Swedish side will be hopeful of bouncing back from their 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Malmo

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Malmo defeated Celtic, Salzburg and Zalgiris in the qualifying rounds to earn their place in the group stage of the competition.

However, the Swedish club were brought down to earth within four minutes of their clash against Paris Saint-Germain when Angel di Maria found the net at the Parc des Princes.

Age Hareide's men battled well to keep the scoreline down against the Ligue 1 champions, but Edinson Cavani secured the win for PSG in the second half.

Life does not get any easier for the Swedish side when they host Real in their clash at the Swedbank Stadion. However, the club are unbeaten in their last 12 matches at home, including their 2-0 win over Celtic in the qualifying round, while their last defeat came in May against Hacken.

Malmo are in good form in the Swedish Allsvenskanliga ahead of the match against Madrid, winning three of their last five matches and scoring 10 goals in the process. Hareide's side's last defeat in the league came once again against Hacken back in August in their trip to the Bravida Arena.

The club sit in fifth place in the table and boast the joint-third best defensive record in the division, although that may not be enough to quell the attacking threat of the potent Real frontline.

Recent form: WLWLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WDLWWD

Real Madrid

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Real began their European campaign with a resounding 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Bernabeu thanks to a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo and a strike from Karim Benzema.

Benitez's men put down a marker to regain the European crown with a dominant performance to move to the top of Group A.

Madrid have been in impressive form at the start of the campaign and are unbeaten in their seven competitive fixtures, although they have dropped four points in their La Liga campaign.

The club were frustrated by Malaga last week as they failed to find a breakthrough in their clash, resulting in a goalless draw at the Bernabeu, despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men for the final 13 minutes of the match.

It was the second time of the season that Benitez's side had drawn a blank in front of goal following their 0-0 draw on the opening day against Sporting Gijon.

Other than those fixtures Madrid have been in imperious form, winning four out of their six matches, which included the hammerings of Real Betis and Espanyol.

Only, Celta Vigo have scored more goals than Real's 14 in La Liga this season, five of which came from the boot of Ronaldo in the win over Espanyol.

The Portuguese has eight strikes in the campaign, including his exploits in the Champions League, and has shown no signs of slowing down his electric displays for the Galacticos.

Real have been solid at the back under Benitez, conceding just one goal in their seven matches in the campaign; only Athletic Bilbao have breached the team's net this season.

Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWD

Team News

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Real will be without a host of players for their clash in Sweden. Gareth Bale headlines the absentees with a calf injury, while James Rodriguez is also missing due to a thigh problem.

Sergio Ramos is out with a shoulder injury along with Pepe, while Danilo's continued absence means that Nacho will partner Raphael Varane in the centre of defence.

However, Jese has been passed fit for the visitors after taking a knock against Malaga.

Keeper Zlatan Azinovic is out for the hosts with a knee problem, while Rasmus Bengtsson and Guillermo Molins are doubts to start against the Galacticos. However, Hareide is determined to give Bengtsson as long as possible to prove his fitness.

Malmo possible starting lineup:
Wiland; Tinnerholm, Bengtsson, Arnason, Carvalho, Yotun; Lewicki, Adu, Berget; Djurdjic, Rosenberg

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric; Isco, Kovacic, Ronaldo; Benzema

Head To Head

The two sides have never before met in competitive action ahead of their clash at the Swedbank Stadion.

Malmo have faced Spanish opposition before in the competition last season, when they lost to Atletico Madrid 5-0 and 2-0 in the group stage.

We say: Malmo 0-3 Real Madrid

Although Madrid failed to fire against Malaga at the weekend, expect them to secure their second win on the spin in the Champions League against Malmo.

The Swedish club battled well in their opener against PSG, but Benitez's men will have the firepower to overwhelm Hareide's side.

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