Michel Salgado believes Real Madrid can still save their season if they win the Champions League for an eleventh time.
Despite Saturday’s Clasico win over Liga leaders Barcelona, Zinedine Zidane’s side look unlikely to overhaul the Catalan giants, who are seven points clear of their rivals with seven games to go.
Los Blancos have already been dumped out of the Copa del Rey after fielding an ineligible player during Rafael Benitez’s short and ill-fated spell at the Bernabeu.
Real take on Wolfsburg on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash and Salgado feels his former team can still end their season on a high.
"Our season is not the season we were expecting," he told Goal. "We have a great chance right now in the last three months to save our season by winning the Champions League and then we build up the team in pre-season, signing the right guys we want. I wouldn’t talk about signing new players yet, we’ve still got a few months and the Champions League."
"The draw has been really good to us and if everything is OK, with all due respect to Wolfsburg, we can be in the semi-finals and we’ve still got one month to improve."
"What we’ve seen so far is not really positive but it’s Real Madrid and I know them really well. And when it comes to the real competitions they are representing the shirt of the biggest club in the world so I have no doubt that Real Madrid are going to be there."
"Let’s not talk about the future, focus on the present and try to improve what we’ve got. We’re not going to make an amazing season but at least we can save it – and if we win the Champions League the fans are going forgive everything."