ALL seems to be going well for Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid at the moment.
The Portuguese superstar bagged a hat-trick against rivals Atletico in the Champions League last Tuesday to hand the defending European champions an imposing 3-0 lead from their semi-final first-leg at the Bernabeu.
And while Zinedine Zidane’s side still trail Barcelona on goal difference in La Liga, Saturday night’s 4-0 win over Granada maintained Madrid’s position as favourites to lift the title, thanks to the game in hand they currently hold over their bitter rivals.
Madrid are aiming to become the first club in history to successfully defend the Champions League title, and will reach their third final in four seasons if they can avoid a heavy defeat at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday night.
Bookies are offering odds as little as 1/66 for Zidane’s men to make it through to the showpiece event and spirits in the Madrid camp were suitably high as they trained together on eve of the game.
Zidane has almost a fully fit squad to choose from for the match, although Gareth Bale (calf) and Dani Carvajal (hamstring) will play no part in the derby clash.
Ronaldo made history against Atletico by becoming the first player to score 100 goals in European competition.
The Portugal captain appeared relaxed as he joked about with his team-mates during the training session at the club’s Valdebebas base on Tuesday morning.
Zidane, usually stern-faced on the touchline, also cracked a smile as he watched his team train in sunny conditions in the Spanish capital.
If Madrid do reach the Champions League final, they are likely to meet Serie A champions Juventus, who hold a 2-0 first-leg lead over Monaco ahead of the second-leg in Turin on Tuesday night.
SOURCE: DAILYMAIL
