Zinedine Zidane must be ruing the missed opportunities to put the Champions League Round of 16 tie to bed in the first leg away at Atalanta. His depleted team managed 19 shots but could only place four on target. Nonetheless, come Tuesday, Real Madrid will take the vital away goal into the return leg after a 0-1 result in the first leg.

The tie is still wide open, and Gian Gasperini’s men will take heart from the fact that they played more than 73 minutes with ten men. A controversial red card issued to Remo Freuler did not see Atalanta roll over and give up; they fought valiantly to stay in the tie. La Dea is free-scoring at times, and if they take the chances that will come their way, they will certainly progress to the quarter-finals.

Madrid have a pedigree, like no other in this competition, but this has been a difficult season. Atalanta defeated Valencia 3-4 at this stage last year. Results such as that and their 100% away win record this season provide a massive confidence boost.

For Madrid, they recently welcomed back captain Sergi Ramos. Eden Hazard could make the bench as he is still not match fit. Los Merengues will be without Casemiro due to suspension; so, Fredric Valverde could come in for him. Dani Carvajal is out injured, while Alvaro Odriozola, Marcelo and Mariano Diaz are unlikely to feature.

Atalanta Duvan Zapata and Christian Romero were rested and will return to the starting line up. Mario Pasalic will replace suspended Freuler; should replace him. Hans Hateboer is out injured.

Los Blancos are not a compact defensive unit; they will miss Casemiro’s protection of the back four. Ramos’s return adds composure and experience to the defence, but they struggled with him in the lineup in the group stages.

Madrid will play their free-flowing possession-based attacking game. They will use pace and skill to create space for the irrepressible Karim Benzema; who missed the first leg. Up to seven Madrid players could join the attack, as we saw in the first leg. Ferland Mendy got forward in a goal-scoring position; he drew the foul from Frauler that caused the red card. He pushed forward again and shot from a distance to score the winner.

Atalanta always aim for defensive compactness, but they do tend to lose concentration and concede sloppy goals. They will miss the added creativity of Frauler, but Pasalic offers a lot in the forward positions. Zapata’s aerial threat and Muriel’s clinical precision, particularly on set pieces, will cause Madrid problems.

Ultimately, two very attacking teams will be going for the win, but they have both shown defensive frailties at times this season. Atalanta can grab two goals. With Benzema back in the team, Madrid should take more chances with the improved line-up. They should prove too strong for Atalanta and take the tie 4-2 on aggregate after a 3-2 win.