Real Madrid players
Real Madrid players Reuters

Real Madrid take on Galatasaray in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday. The nine-time winners have failed to win the trophy in more than a decade and will be looking to keep their hopes alive.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-Off is set for 7:45pm BST. Live coverage of the match will be available on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD.

Overview

Jose Mourinho will have a relatively fresh squad to choose from, having rested various key players in their 1-1 draw away to Real Zaragoza in the weekend. Mesut Ozil, Angel di Maria, Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira all started from the bench in the weekend but are expected to make the starting line-up when the two teams take the field in a bid to progress to the semi-finals.

Madrid made it to the quarter finals owing to a controversial win over Manchester United over both legs in the round of 16. United winger Nani was sent off in the second half of the second leg at Old Trafford, after what was deemed an innocuous tackle on Alvaro Arbeloa. The sending off had a huge effect on the game as the Red Devils conceded two goals in quick succession from Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively, to cancel out Sergio Ramos' own goal in the first half.

The reigning Spanish Champions won the tie 3-2 on aggregate but have to spruce up their performance by leaps and bounds if they have to have any chance of winning the competition. Madrid are also struggling in the league this season, with the Spaniards having crashed out of the title race, currently 13 points behind leaders Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray have a huge task on their hands but will boosted by the presence of Didier Drogba, who inspired Chelsea to their first European glory last season. The Turkish giants beat Schalke en route to the quarter finals, drawing the first leg 1-1 at home but pulling off a brilliant performance to win the away leg 3-2, thus clinching the tie 4-3 on aggregate.

The Turks are leading their league by four points over challengers Fenerbahce, with seven games to go till the end of the season. Galatasaray fielded a full squad in their 2-0 win over Istanbul BB on Saturday and may feel the effects of their weekend fixture being carried over to the Champions League. However, manager Fatih Terim will be concerned by his side's defensive record in the Champions League, having conceded in all games bar one, and will have a job in their hands to restrict the likes of Ronaldo and Karim Benzema from scoring.

Team Guide

Real Madrid

Last Five (All Competitions, Most Recent First): D W W W W

Last Match: Zaragoza 1 - 1 Real Madrid

Galatasaray

Last Five (All Competitions, Most Recent First): W W W L D

Last Match: Galatasaray 2 - 0 Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor

Team News

Madrid have a fully fit squad to choose from with Raphael Varane (back) and Fabio Coentrao (foot) back in the side after recovering from injuries. Iker Casillas is also available for selection but Diego Lopez is expected to keep his place between the posts.

Probable Line-Up: Lopez; Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos, Coentrao; Khedira, Alonso; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema

Tomas Ujfalusi (knee) is the only absentee from what is otherwise a fully fit Turkish side. Terim is expected to field the same side that started against Schalke in Germany, with Didier Drogba Burak Yilmaz starting in attack.

Probable Line-Up: Muslera; Eboue, Semih, Nounkeu, Riera; Altintop, Melo, Selcuk; Sneijder; Drogba, Burak

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