Santiago Solari News

Zidane won an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League titles with the Spanish giants before resigning in May last year. 

Real have no realistic chance of a trophy after falling 12 points behind leaders Barcelona, who knocked them out of the Copa del Rey in the semi-finals.

Coach Santiago Solari may have a contract until 2021 but no-one expects him to remain beyond the close season after overseeing Tuesday`s catastrophic last-16 second leg defeat which ended the club`s 1,012-day reign as kings of Europe.

Ramos was forced to watch from the sidelines as, rather than take another step towards a fourth straight title, Real were torn apart by an exciting yet inexperienced Ajax side.

Ronaldo, the European champions' all-time top scorer, left in July to join Juventus and Madrid signed young attackers Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz.

Nacho Fernandez will likely take Ramos's place in the Madrid lineup, after the Real captain was ruled out by UEFA for geting booked deliberately.

Real hold a 2-1 lead in the tie after riding their luck in Amsterdam, meaning a draw or even a 1-0 defeat would see them into the quarter-finals, but their inability to put the ball in the net is becoming a concern.

Vinicius had several scoring chances against Barcelona in Thursday`s second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, but he was unable to capitalise on any of them.

With Vinicius Jr their chief creator, Madrid produced a dominant display at the Santiago Bernabeu but a goal eluded them and they exited the competition staring at a harsh 1-4 aggregate defeat.

Solari took over with Madrid floundering in ninth place last October but victory over Atletico helped his team leapfrog their city rivals to climb to second.

Julen Lopetegui`s short-lived spell in charge was brought to an end in October with a humiliating capitulation to Barca and Solari was appointed the next day on an interim basis.

It is unclear whether Messi, the all-time top scorer in Spanish football as well as in the `Clasico`, will be fit for the game after ending Barca`s 2-2 draw with Valencia on Saturday with a knock.

Messi sustained an injury during Saturday's 2-2 La Liga draw with Valencia, in which he scored twice, although he was able to finish the game after being treated.

The 18-year-old was left out of the squad when Real last visited the Nou Camp in October, deemed too young and too inexperienced to face a Barca side who went on to defeat Madrid 5-1.

The victory took Real Madrid to 42 points, cutting the gap on second-placed Atletico Madrid to two points ahead of next Saturday's city derby.

Real Madrid`s stumble against Real Sociedad saw them slump to fifth in the standings, 10 points behind leaders Barcelona.

With Real Madrid trailing 1-0 in the second half, teenage Brazilian Vinicius Jr. fell over the arm of outstretched goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli in the area, but referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero neither awarded a penalty nor consulted the technology.

Diaz, 19, played a total of only 50 minutes for City in the Premier League last season but has not featured in the league this campaign.

Only 55,000 supporters made it to the 81,000-capactiy Santiago Bernabeu stadium for Saturday`s 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, despite it being a local derby and the club`s final home game of the year.

With victories over Melilla in the Copa del Rey, Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, and Real Valladolid and Celta Vigo in La Liga, Solari has enjoyed the best start of any manager in the club`s history.