Cristiano Ronaldo woke up from his recent dormant state and scored a goal and assist in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Now the superstar must get back to form and help his team finish off the group stage at the UEFA Champions League with dignity.
Real Madrid won its two first matches in the tournament. They took down Manchester City with a late Ronaldo goal to win at home 3-2. They then dominated Ajax on the road 4-1. Borussia Dortmund stopped the team and Ronaldo in its tracks in two straight games; a 2-1 loss and a 2-2 draw. They followed those matches with a 1-1 draw against Manchester that they could have won. At this point Madrid probably cannot win the group as Dortmund only needs one point to clinch group leadership, but Madrid needs some major confidence boosts after their recent UCL and Spanish league struggles. Ronaldo will need to be the catalyst as he was Saturday.
Ajax needs a win to guarantee the Europa league berth. The team struggled in the early going, but eased in the middle of the group stage. A pair of losses to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid were followed with an emphatic 3-1 win over Manchester City and a 2-2 draw. They most recently loss 4-1 to Dortmund and could potentially face a worse reception in Madrid where Les Merengues have been dominant all season.
Prediction: Coach Jose Mourinho wants his team to put on a show. Ronaldo has regained his confidence and will repeat a tremendous effort against Ajax. 4-1 Madrid.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST