SAINTS host the Los Blancos tonight at St Mary’s Stadium in an U21s group stage match up for the Premier League International Cup (PLIC).
This is the first match up between the two sides at any footballing level.
Madrid made their debut in the PLIC with an away at Wolves a month ago thanks to a Bruno Iglesias free kick.
The Saints are yet to play this season in the PLIC, although being regulars in the cup, they’ve only made it out the group stage once.
In 2019, a Southampton U21 squad including Will Smallbone and Nathan Tella reached the semi finals of the PLIC, ultimately losing 1-3 to Dinamo Zagreb.
Saints youngsters had been off to a great start so far this season in the Premier League 2, going undefeated in their first six games, however they suffered their first defeat last Saturday.
An away 3-1 loss to Leicester, a game the Foxes dominated as Saints only goal came in the 96th minute.
Southampton can only boast a population of 265,000 people, but prides itself off having one England’s greatest footballing academies.
Madrid fed off the South Coast academy in 2013, when they bought Saints academy product Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for £85m.
Bale won five Champions League titles with the Spanish giants, which includes the Welshman’s memorable bicycle kick vs Liverpool in 2018.
However, the only direct contact the two clubs have had in their history was a transfer in 1939.
Spanish forward Sabino Barinaga left Southampton for Real only a couple months before start of Second World War.
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