HomeSteak Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Getafe have statistically been better defensively then us this season.

In weaker leagues.

Tam yeah I agree we've been pretty poor in Europe in these knock out scenarios and we've gone out pretty meekly. Gabriel would be a massive loss especially this season I think Saliba hasn't been at his best, which is natural with a young player, but it will be a big miss not to have him. I felt before it was probably 70% chance that Real progress but that would move up a little if Gab is out.

awooga83 I felt before it was probably 70% chance that Real progress

I'd say it moves up to around 90%. Kiwior is yet to show he can put in an 8/10 performance at CB so it doesn't give me much confidence if Gabriel is out.

JazzG is he match fit?

Panda A little niggle for anyone else might mean Ben White's leg is hanging off, knowing what we know about his ability/willingness to play through niggles.

I've got visions of Ben White as the Black Knight from Monty Python just now.

On the plus side, I'm hopeful it's just a sign the medical and coaching teams are being quite cautious about the healthy and fitness of key players.

Claudius This is not a time for rational thinking Claud!

I'm kinda baffled by the pedestal that people are putting Real Madrid on. Their front 3 are better than our front 3 but our back 8 are better than their back 8. We're going to have Saka and Martinelli against Fran Garcia and Lucas Vasquez most likely. In their last game, they conceded 4 goals at home against Real Sociedad. In the game before that, they conceded 2.87 xG at home against Leganes. In the game before that, they got out-xG'd by Villarreal. In the game before that, they lost against Atletico and went through on penalties. I don't really understand the idea that Leganes can put the fear of God into them but we apparently have no hope. I guess it's just some weird emotional hedging, I suppose.

DiabyKungFu I think it's moreso the talent of their front 3 combined with their Champions League hoodoo/mystique. I am also of the opinion that we can get a result across the two legs but no Gabriel will certainly hurt our chances.

samthegooner with Gabriel I was actually quite confident, especially with Saka on the way back. Now with Kiwior…

Yep Kiwior is the great deflator. I was actually bullish just last week with my mates. Bet them dinner that we'd win. Had to go in hmming and harrumphing at work this morning. Minus Gabriel is a massive loss by itself, but that Kiwior actively works against us.

Burnwinter Interesting stat.

4 minutes of uninterrupted possession almost.

Big Willie Sometimes we watch these sequences and think "boring", but when you're playing footy, it's truly demoralising when your whole team isn't touching the ball for that long a period.

Don't do it to yourself. I'm rarely defeatist but this tie is already done.

Oh I'm not confident we will go through but even though we have injury problems, looks like Real Madrid's are just as bad if not worse.

It's only bad if UEFA actually dole out immediate suspensions, which feels unlikely given how slow/ineffective football litigation is.

I'm fed up of the defeatism. Real are slight favourites to qualify. We are favourites to win the home tie. Its very close and all to play for. Real aren't that good despite their superstars.