Atléti are 90 minutes from a spot in the quarterfinals, if they can protect their two-goal lead.
Real Madrid returns home to face their city rivals Atlético Madrid in the second leg of their Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie. Los Colchoneros took control of the tie with a 2-0 victory last week, but Real Madrid's explosive offense is more than capable of overturning the deficit and advancing.
Ultimately, the result will come down to how Atléti defends. Over the weekend, they were busted wide open by Barcelona, allowing three goals in a tough league loss at the Camp Nou. Diego Simeone will demand a better performance, but with a two-goal lead in hand, he's also likely to us a highly defensive tactic, hoping to steal a vital third goal on the counter.
Real Madrid will need to find a way through Atléti's defense, and the key could be. Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ballon d'Or winner started the first leg on the bench, and now Carlo Ancelotti must decided whether or not to start his star striker. He probably will, it would be a little crazy if he didn't honestly.
Neither team is dealing with any big injury issues, with Luka Modrić the only missing player. He's been out long term with a hamstring injury.
Real Madrid injuries and suspensions
Out: Luka Modrić (hamstring)
Atlético Madrid injuries and suspensions
Out: None reported
Match Date/Time: Thursday, 9 p.m. local, 3 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. - English), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. - Spanish), beIN Sports (Canada), Sky Sports 5 (U.K.), Canal+ (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S. & Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1yfGZxo
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