Real Madrid not giving up trophy without a fight

Manager
Zinedine Zidane

How they qualified
They flopped as group favourites but second-placed Real still finished a whopping 11 points clear of Borussia Dortmund. The home draw with Tottenham and subsequent Wembley reverse hinted at the domestic problems which were about to follow.

Results and fixtures

La Liga standings

Transfer action
Zidane was adamant he did not want any new players so Real stuck with the same squad.

Last-16 first leg
Real Madrid 3 Paris St-Germain 1
Real showed great character to come from behind and win it with two late goals despite being under the cosh in parts.

Last-16 second leg
Paris St-Germain 1 Real Madrid 2
Any chance of an unlikely PSG comeback was extinguished by a Cristiano Ronaldo header and the sending off of Marco Verratti. Easy for Real in the end.

Quarter-final first leg
Juventus 0 Real Madrid 3
Cristiano Ronaldo had already scored twice - including one of the best overhead kicks ever seen - before Juve star Paulo Dybala was sent off. Marcelo added a third for Real to give the Italians a mountain to climb at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Prospects
It's worth remembering Real have won this competition in each of the last two years. Performances have been inconsistent this season but write off Cristiano Ronaldo at your peril.

Mark Langdon picks the Champions League winner

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