Real Madrid vs Wolfsburg for the 2016 UEFA Champions League: Time for Cristiano Ronaldo to Play the Hero
Real Madrid's season is on the line on Tuesday when Los Blancos face off against Wolfsburg in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. The match, which will take place Tuesday, April 12 at 2:45 p.m. EST, will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu in Spain's capital.
The Match Up
Real Madrid entered this matchup as the clear-cut favorites to win against unseasoned German side, but wound up stunned after a 2-0 defeat.
That game saw Wolfsburg completely destabilize Madrid through the use of counterattacks and a questionable penalty call that took all the momentum out of Madrid's sails. Julian Draxler was the start of the first leg, his speed and impressive playmaking giving Madrid's midfield and defense fits.
The other big problem of the first leg was the employment of Danilo on the right defense. While the Brazilian has been playing well under Zinedine Zidane, he is a defensive liability that showcased his poor decision-making throughout the night.
So what is Madrid to do?
First off, the team needs to win by at least 3-0. However, If the team gives up a single goal, then Los Blancos will need a 4-1 win to get through as Wolfsburg would have the away goal. While some would consider home-field advantage in this case, Madrid did implode a year ago at home against Schalke 04, losing 4-3 but ultimately going through to the quarterfinals finals thanks to a 2-0 away win.
Zidane needs to go back to Dani Carvajal on the right defense. He has been Madrid's best in that position on both sides of the ball and will be counted on to push the offense and support Gareth Bale.
Then comes the decision of putting Karim Benzema back on the pitch. The forward was injured the last time out and was rather poor in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Jese Rodriguez has been a revelation at the forward position. His speed and smart decision making has made Madrid lethal on the attack and has also seemingly brought out the best in Cristiano Ronaldo. Three fast forwards could make Wolfsburg's defense rather shaky.
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg will likely crowd their defensive side and play on the counter. All they need is one goal to put the game out of reach. However, they must be aware that in three of the team's last four home games, Madrid has scored four or more goals, including Saturday's 4-0 win over Eibar.
Prediction
Madrid wins 5-1.
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