Wolfsburg vs. Real Madrid in 2016 Champions League Quarterfinals: Cristiano Ronaldo to Add to Historic Goalscoring Record?
Real Madrid takes on Wolfsburg in Champions League quarterfinals at 2:45 p.m. EST today. The game, which will take place at the Volfswagen Arena, is set to be a rather interesting contest with one clearcut favorite.
Real Madrid vs. Wolfsburg
For Real Madrid, this match represents a chance for the club to head to the semifinals of the Champions League for the sixth straight year. Real Madrid has only made the final once in that span as it took home the trophy back in 2013-14.
Los Blancos may be on the road but they enter the match as the heavy favorites. There was a time when Madrid going to Germany was a tricky proposition, but the team has won three of its last four knockout games on German soil.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo a Factor?
The team will be energized for this game, especially after taking down hated rival Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou this past weekend. Cristiano Ronaldo, who leads all players in the UCL in scoring this season with 13 goals, will be particularly fired up as he scored the game winner in Barcelona, trumping his rival Lionel Messi in the head-to-head.
Ronaldo's 13 goals are only four behind the record he set for goals scored in a Champions League tournament back in 2013-14 when he scored 17. With two more goals, Ronaldo would already hold the record for second-most goals in a single tournament.
Real Madrid dispatched Roma rather handedly in its previous round of 16 matchup by the aggregate score of 4-0; Ronaldo scored two goals across those two games.
Wolfsburg is rather new to this scenery, having not been in the Champions League since 2009-10; this is just the second UCL that the team has contested in its history and the sixth European tournament it has battled for all-time.
Wolfsburg won its group with 12 points before dispatching Gent 4-2 across two legs of play. Julian Draxler is the team's top star and he will be leaned on heavily to defeat Madrid.
Predictions
Madrid takes the opening leg by the score of 2-1.