Are Spain's giants really destined to rule Europe?

Real and Barcelona are many people's idea of Champions League favourites – but their early form is alarming. Pete Jenson reports

(AFP/GETTY/REUTERS)

Harry Redknapp, on the eve of his Champions League debut, has already said it; this summer's spending figures agree; and a quick run-down of where the players who won the World Cup will be performing this season backs it up. If the draw allows, Real Madrid and Barcelona could well be walking out at Wembley on 28 May for their very own "London-clasico" European Cup final.

But despite the fact that only Manchester City spent more this summer, and that 10 of the 11 who started for Spain in the World Cup final are Madrid or Barcelona players, there are those in Spain who would happily quibble with Redknapp's assertion that the "two Spanish teams look fantastic".

Real Madrid's laboured dismantling of Osasuna and Barcelona's shocking capitulation against newly-promoted Hercules have raised concerns at both clubs ahead of this week's group openers against Ajax and Panathinaikos respectively. Exporting El Clasico, as Spain's greatest game is tagged, may have to wait. In the meantime, Pep Guardiola, Barça's urbane manager, will be hoping that the Greeks arrive at the Nou Camp tonight bearing their usual gifts – they have yet to win in a dozen visits to Spain.

Jose Mourinho, Guardiola's counterpart at the Bernabeu, already has one record to his name at his new club, but it is not one to savour. Never before in their long, and largely illustrious, footballing history have Madrid made it to half-time of their second game of the season without having found the net.

The team were duly whistled off at half-time against Osasuna and in the face of damning statistics (109 misplaced passes) there was an unusual look to the next day's training session. The 11 starters from Saturday took their place on the training pitch at Valdebebas and with Mourinho calling out their names, passes were pinged from one to another with the pace and precision that had been missing 24 hours earlier.

Club captain Iker Casillas has already asked for more support from the Bernabeu and yesterday Cristiano Ronaldo made a similar appeal. "Sometimes instead of waiting for us to lift them, the fans need to be the ones to lift us," said the former Manchester United man.

Rousing your side is a philosophy better understood in England than Spain and Martin Jol's Ajax will strive to keep Madrid at bay for as long as possible tomorrow and hope the impatience of the home supporters kicks in and gets to the players.

Mourinho has made much of his team's defensive stability in their opening two games but critics have suggested clean sheets against mediocre forward-lines deserve little merit. Whether Ajax will carry a greater threat remains to be seen, but their cause will not be helped by the suspension of Luis Suarez, such a bright figure for Uruguay at the World Cup. The Uruguayan striker scored 34 goals in 35 games in the league for Ajax last season and has 80 to his name in 100 matches. The two bookings he picked up as Ajax scraped through their Champions League qualifiers make him an important absentee.

The visitors are also missing defensive stalwart Jan Vertonghen – good news for Gonzalo Higuain and Ronaldo, who are both due goals after multiple misses so far this season.

"Are you calm ahead of the Champions League kick-off?" Mourinho was asked. "No I'm not," came the reply. "This is the Champions League and we face a team who are well into to their season and who have already played four fixtures in this competition."

One Dutchman has come out in support of Mourinho. To some surprise, Johan Cruyff has offered his backing to Mourinho, who once said that if he wanted advice on how to lose a European Cup final 4-0 he would ask Cruyff. Give Mourinho time, was Cruyff's message.

He said: "They have a new coach and a lot of new players and they will need another year. Mourinho is in the organisation phase right now and that is the way it will be, not just for two or three games more but for two or three months more."

The mastermind of Barcelona's first ever European Cup win at Wembley in 1992 against Sampdoria has also delivered his verdict on Barça's problems. "Too many things have happened off the pitch this summer," said Cruyff, "and sooner or later it is bound to have an effect. If the game at the weekend was just an accident then good, but it could be a difficult start."

Unlike Madrid, who also have to play Auxerre and Milan, Barcelona should have a smoother ride in Group D. Panathinaikos are likely to be scrapping with FC Copenhagen and Rubin Kazan for second place, but the long trip to Russia will take yet more out of players who have spent the best part of the last three months flying to and from South Africa, Mexico and Argentina, winning and then celebrating the World Cup.

Guardiola's concerns over his weary star players was evident when he rested five of them last Saturday and the limitations of the replacements were also there for all to see. Tonight Xavi, Carles Puyol, Dani Alves, Sergio Busquets and Pedro are all likely to return. Mourinho, meanwhile, is set to name an unchanged XI as he seeks to find some continuity.

"I will not rest until we have won the club's 10th European Cup," asserted Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez at the weekend. He also called the man he has entrusted with delivering it, "the best coach in the world."

Mourinho remains fond of London and he would be fonder still were he to return there next May. Barcelona trace so many of their recent triumphs back to that Ronald Koeman piledriver in the famous old stadium 18 years ago. "I hope we can be at Wembley but there is a long road ahead before we can contemplate that," said Andres Iniesta last night.

"I know we can't live on the last six trophies that we have won," added Pep Guardiola, "but the players know that too. They don't need to be told."

Asked if he was already thinking about Wembley where he won the European Cup as a player he replied like a man who – akin to Mourinho – knows a chaotic summer has not been the best preparation for the new campaign. "No," he said. "I just want to be in the last-16 come February."