Real Madrid require a turnaround of epic proportions if they are to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
They play host to Wolfsburg at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night with a 2-0 deficit from last week's first leg in Germany, which has left their participation in the tournament hanging by a thread.
Real Madrid
© AFP
He may have only inherited the Madrid hotseat in January, but there is a growing feeling in Spain that Zinedine Zidane's long-term future as head coach hinges on the outcome of this encounter.
After all, Madrid is a club that tends to define itself on how well it does each season in the Champions League, despite the fact that they have lifted the famous trophy just once since their 2002 triumph.
With president Florentino Perez said to be fluttering his eyelashes in the direction of the currently available Jose Mourinho, it is looking increasingly likely that Zidane must mastermind a triumphant comeback if he is to retain his position beyond the summer.
The equation for Los Blancos is simple: a 3-0 win gets them through, while a 2-0 victory sends the tie into extra-time. However, were Wolfsburg to score an away goal, that would leave Madrid needing four of their own.
Despite the desperate need for goals, Zidane has urged his players to show some caution: "This is a big match, but you need a cool head to play in it. We are not going to win it in [the first] 10 or 15 minutes. It could be more difficult if they score, but that can happen. We must be focused from minute one. We have to score, but we have 90 minutes to do so. We need to be patient."
Madrid found themselves in identical situations against Inter Milan and Celtic in 1985 and 1980 respectively and on both occasions they recorded 3-0 wins in front of their own supporters.
Recent form: WWWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWLW
Wolfsburg
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Wolfsburg's Bundesliga form has been so patchy this season that the only way they will be playing Champions League football in 2016-17 is if they go on to win the competition this time around.
A disappointing 1-1 draw with Mainz at the weekend has left Dieter Hecking's men eighth in the table and some nine points adrift of fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
Even so, while the Wolves are Champions League novices - this is just their second campaign - they have shown some good away form in Europe. Of their last nine trips, just two have ended in defeat, with five victories thrown in.
On top of that, Wolfsburg have won all four ties in UEFA competition in which they won the home first leg, including a 2-0 aggregate triumph over Sporting Lisbon in last season's Europa League.
"Everyone knows we are not playing perfectly in our own league but we are doing very well in the Champions League. We had a great start in the first game and it is not being arrogant to say we can qualify. We knew we needed two magnificent days, we already had one and now we need another one," said Hecking.
There is one reason for caution, though, and it comes in the form of Wolfsburg's quarter-final record in UEFA competition. They have lost both of them, to Fulham in 2010 and Napoli in 2015.
Recent form: LWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WLDLWD
Team News
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Karim Benzema has struggled with a knee injury over recent days, but he is expected to return to fitness to lead the Madrid attack.
The Frenchman will be joined by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, which means that James Rodriguez will drop down to the bench.
Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal is likely to be preferred to Danilo in the right-back position.
As for the visitors, midfielder Daniel Caligiuri is regarded to be a doubt because of a muscular complaint.
Also, defender Sebastian Jung has already been ruled out because of a knee injury.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Benaglio; Vieirinha, Naldo, Dante, Rodriguez; Guilavogui, Gustavo; Henrique, Arnold, Draxler; Schurrle
Head To Head
Last week's encounter was the first official meeting between the two sides.
In Spain, Wolfsburg have been beaten once and drew on their other visit.
As for Madrid, they have won 21 of their 28 home encounters against German clubs, with three defeats.
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Wolfsburg
Despite the plea for patience from their manager, there is every chance that Madrid are going to come out all guns blazing. While the men in the all-white strip have an embarrassment of riches going forward, they have shown on countless occasions this term that they are rather poor at the back. Madrid will almost certainly find the net on more than one occasion, but the Germans could well nick an all-important away goal.
Liam Apicella
