Champions League 2015/16 profiles: Real Madrid

After losing their Champions League crown last season to bitter El Clasico rivals Barcelona, under the new management of Rafa Benitez, Real Madrid will hope to storm through their group and recapture the European crown.

Alongside PSG, Malmo and Shakhtar Donetsk, though, Bentiez faces a tough test in his first season in charge of the most decorated side in Champions League history, and they are 5/1 with Coral to go all the way again.

Domestic league: La Liga

How they qualified: The Galacticos finished the domestic campaign second behind rivals Barcelona, who historically clinched the treble.

Best Champions League era performance: Madrid are the record 10-time winners of Europe’s elite club competition, but the 2013/14 campaign saw Cristiano Ronaldo help guide the Spanish giants to that historic La Decima, toppling city rivals Atletico Madrid to do so.

Coach: Former Liverpool and Chelsea boss Benitez has plenty of experience in European competition, with his crowning glory being that famous 2005 Champions League victory with the Reds. Now 55, the previous Real Madrid B coach also lifted the old UEFA Cup with Valencia in 2004 and the Europa League in 2013 with Chelsea.

Ins and outs: For the first summer for many years, Madrid failed to lure in a big-money star to add to their ever-growing list of ‘Galacticos’, having missed out on Manchester United’s Spanish stopper David de Gea.

Although, talented right back Danilo did arrive from Porto, while Mateo Kovavic was the other notable signing from Benitez’s former club Inter Milan.