From Premier League to Champions League: Coral’s best European XI

Defensive midfield: Javier Mascherano
Argentina scrapper Mascherano is often dropped further back and plays as a centre half for Barcelona, but enhanced his reputation as a tough-tackling midfield anchor at Liverpool. Key for club and country, his aggression will be necessary as the Catalan giants, with who he won the Champions League in 2011, travel to Paris.

Central midfield: Xabi Alonso
This might be one of Pep Guardiola’s shrewdest signings. Ex-Liverpool pass-master Alonso, who scored in the Reds’ 2005 Champions League final triumph, went on to win the competition again with Real Madrid last term. He is now at Bayern Munich, covering for injured compatriot Javi Martinez, and it’s 4/1 that Alonso wins this competition for a third time.

Central midfield: Luka Modric
Former Spurs playmaker Luka Modric was an unsung hero in Real Madrid’s successful European campaign last season. Formerly partnered by Alonso, he now has two World Cup winners from Germany, Sami Khedira or Toni Kroos; to partner him in the Bernabeu engine room. Modric is a 6/1 shot to score as Real travel to Bulgarian upstarts Ludogorets Razgrad.

Right wing: Gareth Bale
Like Modric, Wales winger Bale followed the Croatian from White Hart Lane to the Bernabeu. He netted 22 times in all competitions last term as Real Madrid lifted ‘La Decima’; a 10th European Cup. Bale has already scored in this season’s Champions League, and is 4/1 to grab the last goal against Ludogorets.

Striker: Carlos Tevez
Argentine bad boy Tevez counts West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City among his former clubs but, despite his exploits at Italian champions Juventus, he is out of favour for his national team. During his time in Manchester, he won the Premier League with both clubs, and the Champions League at Old Trafford. Tevez has since added Serie A to his honours, and is 9/1 to score two goals or more against Atletico Madrid, as he did on his last outing in this competition.

Left wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
No all-star XI would be complete without a Ballon d’Or winner. Ronaldo is a phenomenon, enough said. The Portugal icon has been consistently linked with leaving Real Madrid to return to Manchester United in recent weeks. Who among us wouldn’t like to see a Golden Boot winner with 11 major club honours on his CV come back to England? Ronaldo is 9/4 to score first for Madrid in Bulgaria.