LONDON: Misfiring Real Madrid hope to have Luka Modric back for their Champions League last-16 clash with Schalke and provide the creativity that they have been missing.

The European champions host Schalke at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg and hoping to ease recent doubts about their winning mindset following a 1-0 defeat away to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday which saw Real surrender their lead at the top of La Liga.

Modric had been sidelined for four months with a torn thigh muscle.

In Tuesday’s other last-16 second leg clash, FC Porto are strong favourites to secure a quarter-final berth when they host FC Basel after clinching a 1-1 draw in Switzerland in the first leg.

Published in Dawn March 10th , 2015

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