Carlo Ancelotti believes winning the Club World Cup this weekend could be the impetus Real Madrid need, as he backed Karim Benzema to roar back to his best.
Benzema has flown in late to Morocco, along with Eder Militao, in the hope they can play some part in Saturday's final against Al Hilal after recovering from minor injuries.
Madrid are having a sticky time of it, with a defeat to Real Mallorca in LaLiga last weekend seeing them slip eight points behind leaders Barcelona.
A Champions League last-16 tie against Liverpool awaits them in the coming weeks, a reunion after last year's final that Madrid won to conquer Europe for a 14th time.
These, then, are important days for Madrid, and landing a trophy would only help strengthen morale.
Asked whether the Al Hilal game was one where there was little to gain but a lot to lose for Madrid, Ancelotti said: "I don't see it that way, because it's an important title, the end of a long road.
"This final can give us a boost. The team have confidence and the important thing is not to lose it."
He added: "Evaluating Real Madrid's season is not easy. We started well with the European Super Cup and we did well up until the World Cup.
"Then the World Cup arrived and we said we didn't know what was going to happen. It took us a while to recover the players who went to the World Cup. January has cost us in terms of points and injuries. The month of January is over, February is here and I think we are doing well.
"We reached the important moment of the season with players coming back and with the idea of giving the maximum. Tomorrow is a final and Madrid respects finals very much. We will play to the maximum physically, technically and tactically."
After a spectacular season last term saw Benzema hit 44 goals in 46 games, earning him the Ballon d'Or award, injuries have blighted his follow-up campaign.
He has still managed 13 goals in 21 appearances, but the strike rate is down at one goal every 138.08 minutes, where last season he scored on average every 88.91 minutes.
His shot conversion rate has dipped from 24.18 to 15.48 per cent, but Ancelotti says the 35-year-old captain will remain his main striker this season and into 2023-24.
The ex-Everton and Milan boss spoke in defence of the former France striker when the question of Madrid possibly signing another number nine was raised in Friday's pre-match press conference.
"It is a subject that must be discussed calmly. Karim's age and Karim's performance must be taken into account," Ancelotti said. "Benzema is our number nine. After the World Cup he is doing very well and I think next season, too, he will do very well.
Ancelotti said there was no certainty Benzema or centre-back Militao would feature against Saudi giants Al Hilal, who beat Flamengo 3-2 in the semi-finals, while Madrid swept to a 4-1 victory against Al Ahly.
"Today's training is important," Ancelotti said. "If they are here it is because they have the chance to play. Today they will train and then I will decide."
Amid continuing reports Ancelotti is fancied by Brazil to be their next manager, the man himself again declined to state any interest in that role.
He said: "My situation is very clear, I have a contract until 2024."
Bristol City Women 0-4 Man City Women: Hosts relegated as Fowler double inspires WSL leaders
Mary Fowler scored twice to set WSL leaders Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 rout of Bristol City, who suffered relegation as a result, on Sunday.
With Arsenal having drawn with Everton earlier in the day, Man City knew a victory would be enough to take the title race down to two teams.
That victory duly arrived in emphatic fashion, with all four of Man City's goals arriving in the second half.
Fowler's fantastic strike opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, with the Australia international doubling her tally soon after, paving the way for an Amy Rodgers own goal and Alex Greenwood's late header to seal a huge victory.
Arsenal are now out of the title race, with Chelsea - who have two games in hand on Gareth Taylor's team - the only side capable of catching Man City.
The Robins, meanwhile, will be playing in the second tier again next term.
Data Debrief: Bristol heading down with a whimper
Bristol City have failed to score in their last five games in the WSL, a run of 544 minutes without a goal.
They mustered just 0.09 expected goals (xG) to Man City's 3.4, with the visitors having now kept a clean sheet in nine of their 20 league games this season.
De Rossi demands more from 'tired' Roma ahead of crunch run
Daniele De Rossi acknowledged his Roma team may be tired, but he insisted they must not allow themselves to be embarrassed.
Roma fought back to draw 2-2 with last season's Serie A champions Napoli in a pulsating fixture on Sunday.
Tammy Abraham's late header secured a point for De Rossi's team, who took the lead through Paulo Dybala's penalty before going behind to goals from Matias Olivera and Victor Osimhen.
With Serie A set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, Roma occupy fifth spot with four matches remaining, but sixth-placed Atalanta are just two points behind with a game in hand.
There is also the small matter of a Europa League semi-final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the cards over the coming weeks, and De Rossi set the stall out.
"We drew, it is not a result to throw away, but it is not the result or the performance that we wanted," Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.
"At times you can steal the ball off Napoli, but we then gave it back again too many times. Napoli had a lot of chances in the first half, we did better in the second, but we have to do better.
"Look, we are tired, but we cannot start thinking that we’re tired and that means we can be embarrassed in the final few weeks of the season."
Roma host Leverkusen on Thursday before taking on Juventus on May 5, with a crunch clash against Atalanta – who are also into the Europa League semi-finals – set to follow after the away leg against Xabi Alonso's team.
Key to a successful end to the campaign for Roma will be keeping Dybala fit. The Argentine has been involved in the joint-most goals (12) in Serie A since the turn of the year, scoring nine and setting up three, level with Juve's Dusan Vlahovic.
PSG's latest Ligue 1 title arrives as Monaco lose to Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned as Ligue 1 champions after Lyon overcame Monaco 3-2 on Sunday.
A 4-1 midweek win over Lorient ensured that one more victory would be enough for Luis Enrique's team to get over the line, but PSG failed to get the job done themselves when they faced relegation-threatened Le Havre on Saturday.
That game was the 700th match of the QSI era at PSG, and the club's 1,900th in France's top flight.
However, PSG's wait to win their third straight title did not last long, as less than 24 hours later, Lyon – who will face the Parisians in the final of the Coupe de France at the end of May – came out on top in a topsy turvy encounter with second-placed Monaco.
Substitute Malick Fofana was the matchwinner for Lyon, and ultimately the player who handed the title to PSG.
Wissam Ben Yedder had put Monaco ahead in the opening minute, but quickfire goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Said Benrahma turned the match on its head before half-time.
Ben Yedder netted his second to restore parity on the hour mark, and thought he had sealed his hat-trick when he volleyed in from a free-kick, only to have strayed offside.
With only a win good enough for Monaco to stay in the fight, the visitors were then caught out in the 84th minute, with Fofana racing onto Lacazette's throughball and finishing calmly.
After a dismal start to the season, relegation looked a real possibility for Lyon, but they are now, with three games remaining, still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
PSG on the other hand now have 12 Ligue 1 titles to their name, with 10 of those coming under QSI's ownership. Aside from the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season, five of their last six league titles have been secured before the start of May.
It also means Luis Enrique remains in the running for a treble in his first season at the club, with PSG taking on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
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