Pressure back on as Real Madrid and Zidane reunite with Juventus

Zinedine ZidaneZinedine Zidane said last week he wants to stay at Real Madrid but how welcome his wishes are will depend on the teams Champions League tie against Juventus Real face Zidanes former club in the first leg of the quarterfinal on Tuesday knowing their season and perhaps the Frenchmans future as coach hinges on reaching the last four It was the same in the previous round against Paris SaintGermain Reals limp La Liga title defence combined with their early exit from the Copa del Rey means they now have only one shot at winning a major trophy this termThe mood in Madrid however is upbeat Real have won 10 out of their last 11 matches a run that has seen them brush aside PSG and move to within four points of secondplaced Atletico Madrid in the league They have scored 36 goals in that period at an average of just over three a game The match comes at a good time for us Real forward Lucas Vazquez said We have been doing things well for the last few months playing better more goals its a good moment and now we have to try to take advantage of it in this tieZidane therefore declared his intentions on Friday from a position of strength but lose to Juventus and his pledge might look more like a plea Despite winning backtoback Champions Leagues and the La Liga title last year he is still not immune to the weight of Reals expectation Zidane will be returning to Turin for the first time as a manager his last outing as a player there coming in March 2005 when Real were beaten 20 by the Old Lady in the Champions League last 16David Trezeguets goal and an extratime winner from Marcelo Zalayeta sealed victory for Juve then managed by Fabio Capello against a Real side that included David Beckham Ronaldo and Thomas Gravesen Thirteen years on Gianluigi Buffon is the only player likely to make a repeat appearance this week but the two current teams need no introduction their latest meeting coming in the competitions final last year That 41 victory remains the highpoint of Zidanes Real tenure not only because it earned him an unprecedented second consecutive Champions League crown but because of the sheer ruthlessness of the performanceIf Zidane uses the win in Cardiff as a reference point it may be to the advantage of Isco who was excellent there having been picked ahead of Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio The same trio are now competing for the same spot on Tuesday with an added competitor in Vazquez Isco trained on Sunday after missing Saturdays win over Las Palmas with a back problem and he may still be flying high from his hattrick for Spain against Argentina last weekBale meanwhile played 90 minutes against Las Palmas perhaps an ominous indicator for his prospects against Juve but he could hardly have done more to state his case after scoring twice in the 30 win Its another game another competition we know we have to go to Juve with ambition and we have to go there to score Zidane said For Juventus who edged past Tottenham in the round of 16 it is an opportunity to avenge last years loss and sustain hopes of an historic treble They have won both Serie A and the Coppa Italia for the past three consecutive seasons but each time fell short of adding the Champions League twice losing in the finalWe have the ambition to beat one of the best teams in the world Real Madrid coach Massimiliano Allegri said It will be a great game but our priority remains Serie A We will fight against Real Madrid with realism and ambitionJuan Cuadrado and Giorgio Chiellini both returned from injury against AC Milan on Saturday while Allegri also hopes to have Federico Bernardeschi and Alex Sandro available again Real defender Nacho is a doubt after he pulled his hamstring against Las Palmas but Sergio Ramos trained on Sunday after overcoming a knockCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the goThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever