Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball during their Champions League Round of 16 first leg soccer match against Schalke 04INA FASSBENDER/Reuters
MADRID – No competition is more important for Real Madrid than the Champions League, and the squad will hope to ease recent doubts about its winning mindset when it hosts Schalke at the Santiago Bernabeu holding a 2-0 first-leg advantage.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti has acknowledged that Madrid's slump in form this year is confusing, but believes he knows how to fix it.
Madrid's most attacking lineup of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale has gone from scoring an average of 2.6 goals per match in a trophy-laden 2014 that saw the team notch up a 22-game winning streak, to just 1.3 so far this year.
"What we are doing when we attack at the moment is quite confusing," he said. "There is too much individual play."
The Italian acknowledged Madrid's problem wasn't in defence. "It's not a defensive problem, it is an offensive problem. We are not finding a way through like we did in the games before."
Having been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and surrendered its domestic league lead to Barcelona, the 10-times European Champion is out to be the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back Champions League titles.
And the next step is to advance past the German team to the quarter finals.
Here are some things to know about Tuesday's last-16 return leg:
IMPROVE THROUGH-BALLS
One aspect that Ancelotti might try to improve is how balls won in defence are fed up to the attacking trio.
Key defender Sergio Ramos is now fit and could be incorporated into the squad to feed passes through to midfielders Sami Khedira and Luka Modric, who have both also returned to fitness. Modric had been sidelined for four months with a torn thigh muscle.
Toni Kroos acknowledges that playing in Madrid's midfield is complex.
"Midfield is difficult nowadays," said the German international. "You have to be versatile, be good on and off the ball. You have to defend well, build up the attack and be good at winning individual battles. These positions are hard to master."
REINFORCED SCHALKE
Shalke coach Roberto Di Matteo has also been able to welcome back a key player after a long period out recovering from muscle injury.
Leon Goretzka was a standout player for Schalke in the second half of last season, playing a vital role in the team's qualification for Europe.
He came on in the 55th minute for his team's 3-1 win against Hoffenheim on Saturday and now hopes to play at the Bernabeu.
"It is a special game for all of us," he said, calling Madrid "a particular opponent."
Last year Schalke met Madrid at the same stage in the competition and came away bruised by a 9-2 aggregate trouncing.
"Last season we made a great game until the last quarter of an hour," he said of his last visit to the Bernabeu. "Now, let's try to keep pace."
Defender Christian Fuchs believes a comeback in Spain is not impossible.
"We travel now to Madrid in a positive frame of mind, no one will bet on us, so maybe there is a chance for us," Fuchs said.
RISKING RAMOS
However important an 11th European title might be to Madrid, it also faces a challenging prospect in La Liga, where it must travel to Barcelona for a potentially decisive clash in 10 days.
Madrid has given up a comfortable four-point league lead and been knocked by a 1-0 loss at Athletic Bilbao at the weekend after a 1-1 home draw against Villarreal the previous weekend, and a 2-1 round 17 loss at Valencia.
Ancelotti might opt to keep Ramos in reserve for the Camp Nou, ensuring there is less of a likelihood of a recurrence of the defender's hamstring injury.
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PORTO, Portugal – After clinching a 1-1 draw in Switzerland in the first leg, FC Porto is a strong favourite to secure a Champions League quarterfinal berth when it hosts Basel in Tuesday's return match.
The Portuguese club is a two-time European champion. The last time Basel made it to the tournament quarterfinals was four decades ago.
Here are some other things to know about the last-16 game in northern Portugal:
PORTO'S HOT STREAK
Porto has won its last six Portuguese league games without conceding a goal – its best run since the 2010-11 season.
In the Champions League group stage Porto was one of three clubs, with Real Madrid and Chelsea, to complete the first phase unbeaten.
Domestic champion in seven of the last 10 seasons, Porto currently lies second in the Portuguese league after an erratic start while new coach Julen Lopetegui found his feet, but it is now looking slick.
The Spaniard is in his first spell in charge of a club, and in his first Champions League campaign, after a career coaching Spanish youth teams.
TOP STRIKER MISSING
Porto suffered a big setback when Jackson Martinez sustained a thigh strain in Porto's 1-0 win last weekend against Braga. He is expected to be out for several weeks.
The Colombian striker was on course to be the top league goalscorer for a third successive season as he currently tops the charts with 17 goals in 24 rounds "His absence is a loss because of his energy, his character and the example he sets for everyone," Lopetegui said.
Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar is expected to step into the gap.
Central defender Maicon is also in doubt, but midfielder Oliver Torres is back in training after a shoulder injury.
ADVANTAGE PORTO
Porto has a strong record against Swiss opponents, having lost just once in seven games.
Basel has scored in only four of their games against Portuguese teams and has never won in Portugal.
PORTUGUESE VS. PORTUGUESE
Basel coach Paulo Sousa has a trump card: as a former Benfica and Sporting Lisbon player and having made 51 appearances for the Portugal national team, he knows Portuguese soccer well.
He has matured into an artful coach at Basel, which leads the Swiss championship and got into the Champions League knockout round with an auspicious 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
The Swiss team is benefiting from the form of striker Shkelzen Gashi, who took his season's tally to 16 league goals in a 3-0 win against FC Thun 3-0 at the weekend.
Defender Fabian Schar is back for Basel after a one-match ban.