Madrid, Tottenham plagued by injuries

MADRID (AP):

Real Madrid and Tottenham must decide whether to risk key players battling injuries when they meet today in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Only three days after Madrid lost their perfect home record, coach Jose Mourinho said he may play forward Cristiano Ronaldo, whose nagging thigh injury led the Portugal forward to miss Saturday's 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijon.

The Portuguese coach, however, ruled striker Karim Benzema out with a leg injury and said yesterday that the availability of Ronaldo, Argentina forward Angel di Maria and Brazil fullback Marcelo will be decided following an afternoon training session.

Domestic title hopes fading

"It's a game the Santiago Bernabeu (stadium) hasn't had for a long time now. It seems normal to me that there's nothing else to think about than this game," said Mourinho, before qualifying a scoreless draw as an acceptable result with the return leg at White Hart Lane on April 13.

With Madrid's domestic title hopes fading, the Spaniards may need Ronaldo in the line-up to focus on winning the European Cup for a record 10th time. Madrid now trail Spanish league leaders Barcelona by eight points.

Expectations are high with Mourinho - who won the Champions League as coach of FC Porto in 2004 and then again with Inter Milan last season - at the helm of a club without silverware for two-plus seasons. Madrid are also playing in this stage of the competition for the first time in seven years.

"You can't win the treble every season, I did it twice and I think twice is quite a lot," Mourinho said. "I don't manage expectations, I work as always with the same motivations, same feelings, same desire. No problem - easy."

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has his own injury worries with Gareth Bale recovering from a hamstring injury.

The London club has only two fully fit central defenders in Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong, with Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Younes Kaboul out and William Gallas a game-time decision because of a knee injury. Midfielder Steven Pienaar is also out with a groin injury.

Bale is having a break-out season for Tottenham, but has made only three brief appearances since the end of January.

First-leg draw enough

"We sincerely believe that we can get past both legs," the Wales international said in an interview in yesterday's AS newspaper. "We know how to win. Madrid play on the counter and the forward three have a lot of quality. Mourinho's got them well organised and Xabi Alonso always knows what the match needs.

"(But) a tie in the first leg would be fine."

Redknapp has relied on Peter Crouch, who scored the lone goal to get the Premier League club past AC Milan in the round of 16, in attack for Champions League games, while Netherlands playmaker Rafael van der Vaart is also set to start in his first return to the Bernabeu after being sold by Madrid last year.

Tottenham are also coming off their own domestic stumbles as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Wigan on Saturday.

"Of course it will be a tough game against Real Madrid," Red-knapp said. "We will have to play better than we did at Wigan if we are going to get the result we need there. It was one of those days."

Madrid, who beat Lyon in the previous round, won their only previous encounter with Tottenham in the 1984-85 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.