Real’s depth keeps double hopes alive

MADRID: Real Madrid welcome Atletico Madrid for the first leg of their Champions League semifinal hoping to do something that has been beyond the reigning 11-time European champions for six decades.

Alfredo Di Stefano, not Cristiano Ronaldo, was Madrid’s star man the last time Los Blancos won La Liga and Europe’s top club prize in the same season.

The eight times Real have been crowned champions of Europe since they have always done so happy to sacrifice La Liga for the tournament they see as defining their role as the biggest and best club in the world.

Even this season the lure of becoming the first side to defend the Champions League has edged out that of ending Barcelona’s dominance of La Liga.

That has been evidenced by coach Zinedine Zidane’s line-ups for a string of recent Liga games sandwiched between big European ties.None of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric or Toni Kroos started any of Madrid’s last three away games.

In their absence the likes of Isco, Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio have shone and Madrid won all three games, scoring 13 times in the process.

Real have already played 53 games this season across five competitions and even two continents after travelling to Japan for the Club World Cup.Yet they remain on course for the most successful season in the club’s storied recent history thanks to the depth of their resources.

ATLETICO’S CONCERNS Atletico’s back line has been depleted because of a series of injuries and coach Diego Simeone will have to improvise for the semifinal first leg.

Simeone won’t be able to count on key defensive players such as Jose Gimenez and Juanfran Torres for the game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and they may not even recover in time for the second leg at the Vicente Calderon next week.

BARCELONA TITLE IN HAND, RAFA SET FOR FRENCH OPEN BARCELONA:Rafael Nadal hailed a “dream start” to his clay court season after romping to his 10th Barcelona Open on Sunday after sweeping aside Austria’s Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-1.

The Spaniard also claimed his 10th title at the Monte Carlo Masters last week as he gears up for to go for his 10th French Open title next month. “It is two consecutive weeks winning, in Monte Carlo and here, two special tournaments for me, it is a dream start on clay,” said Nadal.

“It means a lot for me to reach number 10 here in Barcelona, in front of the people of my club. I am very happy and emotional.”