The Champions League quarter-final draw has thrown up a difficult prospect for Real Madrid, who will have to take on Liverpool twice, and Barcelona in the space of eight days.
Tuesday April 6, will see the home match against Liverpool, with Barcelona then visiting the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Saturday April 10, then the Champions League quarter-final return leg at Anfield on Wednesday April 14.
In a year that has been riddled with unexpected setbacks, Real Madrid have managed to maintain their level of performance in the big matches, or the ‘finals’ as Zinedine Zidane likes to say.
The Real Madrid coach is ready to fought for the Champions League and LaLiga Santander, but he has to reach peak performance three times in eight days if Los Blancos are to do so. Otherwise, Zidane risks having nothing left to play for by mid-April.
So far this season, Real Madrid have already managed to save themselves in the Champions League after a poor start to the group stage by redeemed by December and Los Blancos topped Group B. That said, the mountains that were climbed, will be nothing in comparison to Liverpool and Barcelona.
Back then, two two consecutive defeats against Alaves and Shakhtar Donetsk, the team and the coach were left hanging by a thread. A thread which was used to weave victories against Sevilla, Shakhtar, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club in just ten days until became a rope, to which Real Madrid were able to cling to life again.
“We know who Liverpool are and they are like us, we have been on the edge of the precipice but we are alive in both competitions,” Zidane told the press when he learned of the draw.
Jurgen Klopp‘s men are currently sixth in the Premier League, and on the weekend that Real Madrid play Barcelona, Liverpool will take on Aston Villa as they themselves face a fight to make it into Europe’s premier club competition next season.
Before all that, Real Madrid have two games to play – Celta and Eibar – plus three national team games to look at. And Zidane will have to pray that the treatment table doesn’t become clogged up once more.
If Real Madrid reach the first match against Liverpool with a healthy squad, then doubt will come for the Clasico, as it did in December. Do you rotate against Barcelona? Or will the same XI play all three games?
The last time Real Madrid had to play a Classic before a Champions League return game was back in the 2018/19 season, and in fact there were two games. The first was the Copa Clasico, in which Santiago Solari‘s team were well beaten 3-0, and three days later Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona picked up a 1-0 win in LaLiga Santander.
With that hangover, and without Sergio Ramos in the team, the good ship Real Madrid was wrecked by Ajax who won 4-1 at the Estadio Bernabeu.
After Easter, it’ll either be a good week or a bad week. Circle April 14 to see if Real Madrid are still in the throes of spring, or have regressed to the harshest of winters.
