Real Madrid vs. APOEL Nicosia 2017 live stream: Time, TV channel, and how to watch Champions League online

Real Madrid begin their latest Champions League title defense at home in the hallowed grounds of the Santiago Bernabeu, with Cyprus club APOEL Nicosa set to visit in an effort to spoil Madrid’s celebrations.

Of course, such an upset won’t exactly be easy for APOEL. The Cyprus side is good, very good for their level even. But the team that’s won the Cypriot Championship 10 of the last 13 years is nowhere near the level of Real Madrid. The Spanish megagiants are in slightly shaky form of late, with two draws in their last two La Liga matches. But they are still head and shoulders better than APOEL and then some, and that’s with all due respect to the Cypriot champions.

A big part of Madrid’s success and often scintillating play has been the rise of young Marco Asensio, who emerged as a young impact player off the bench late last season and has been seizing a bigger role in the squad so far this season. He’ll likely get plenty of time to shine in this match, and the young Spaniard could really start to make his mark as an emerging star in the world of football.

For Real Madrid, only Karim Benzema is injured, though the French striker has been a lightning rod of criticism this season, so some fans may be happy if he misses out on the match. APOEL are a bit more beat up, with Zhivko Milanov, Facundo Bertoglio, and Georgios Efrem all on the injured list, representing three important players to their side who they will be hard-pressed to properly replace.

Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain

TV: Fox Sports 2 (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), beIN Sports Spain, Movistar+ (Spain), Cytavision Sports 1, Cytavision Sports HD (Cyprus)

Online: Fox Soccer Match Pass, Fox Soccer Go, ESPN3, WatchESPN (U.S.), beIN Sports Connect España (Spain), Cytavision Live (Cyprus)

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