Real Madrid's season at stake next month

The whole Real Madrid season at stake next month. The white team is lost into an abyss of points in the Spanish League, so Mourinho has decided to make an all-in bet. The team is focused on passing the last-16 round of the Champions League against Manchester United and reaching the Spanish Cup final after defeating Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Jose Mourinho with the Champions League Trophy

The Portuguese coach is planning the work to get the best physical condition to the first important meeting, on February 13 against the Red Devils at the Bernabeu stadium. With that goal Mourinho is thinking about give a rest to three or four starter players against Sevilla on Saturday (10 pm -CET-). The coach is particularly concerned about four names; Pepe, Xabi Alonso, Marcelo and Varane. Mourinho knows that their various physical problems can prevent them to play against Manchester United. A match for which the squad has been waiting for from the draw. "For the Champions League competition the players do not need motivating" said Mourinho at press conferenece last Saturday.

But whites players know the season will be at stake in a single week. First the February 27, in the Spanish Cup semifinal round at the Camp Nou (1-1 in the first leg). Three days later they will repeat the Classic, but in the League competition (March 2), and on March 5 Real Madrid will travel to Manchester to play at Old Trafford in the first knockout round of the Champions. Team continues to aspire to the dream of the Tenth, the major target of the season.

Real Madrid fans are optimistic about the first round of Champions against Manchester because of the Mourinho's statistic in the European competition. Since the Portuguese caoch arrive at Madrid, white team has played two consecutive Champions League semifinals: in 2010-11 against Barcelona and in 2011-12 against Bayern. Mourinho broke the curse in the Champions League, in which Real Madrid had six straight years falling in the last-16 round.