Madrid braced for Pogba-boosted Juve

No margin for mistakes in Champions League semifinal

Real Madrid must overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit to keep its season alive when a Juventus squad boosted by the return of Paul Pogba visits Santiago Bernabeu in the return leg of their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.

Los Blancos' La Liga title hopes are all but over despite coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Valencia on Saturday as Barcelona moved four points clear at the top of the standings with just two games remaining.

However, Carlo Ancelotti's men recovered from exactly the same result against Valencia that proved an almost fatal blow to its title hopes at the same stage last season to go on to win the club's 10th European Cup in Lisbon a few weeks later.

Defensive lapses have cost Madrid in recent weeks as it has conceded twice in four of its past five matches and rightback Dani Carvajal insists it can't go after a clinical Juventus side and risk being caught on the counter attack.

"We need to win, that is fundamental. However, above all, we need to have a cool head, be patient and not go crazy," Carvajal told the club's website.

"The game is 90 minutes and we need to make that seem like a long time for Juventus and make them suffer without the ball."

Carvajal gave away the penalty, converted by Carlos Tevez, at the end of a counter attack that gave the Italian champion the advantage in last week's first leg.

And he believes Madrid will not be so generous in front of a packed house at the Bernabeu.

"They created danger from us giving the ball away or our errors. I think if we stay calm, have patience, move them around, then we will win the game.

"After the first leg the feelings of the coach and the players were clear. We cannot commit so many errors on easy passes because that breathed life into them."

Benzema returning

Madrid could be back close to full strength as Toni Kroos is expected to shrug off a hip injury picked up against Valencia, while Karim Benzema is set to play up front after a month out with a knee problem.

Benzema's French international teammate Pogba is certain to play a part after making a splashy return from a near two-month injury layoff in a 1-1 draw at home to Cagliari on Saturday.

Juventus has waited 12 years to get back to the biggest game in European soccer, when it also beat Real in the semifinals in 2003, and defender Giorgio Chiellini described the game as the biggest in his 10 years with the club.

"We can't wait for Wednesday evening to come; this is the most prestigious and important game I'll be playing since I joined the club," he said.

"I've been here for 10 years and 12 have gone past since we last reached a semifinal.

"We've got better and matured as the competition has worn on, and getting past the last 16 and then the quarterfinals gave us added awareness in our own abilities.

"We've never been as close as we are now, but we've still got 90 really tough minutes to get through. The final is still a long way away and we'll need a super performance to get there."

Juventus' biggest threat could come from a very familiar source for the Madrid faithful as Real academy product Alvaro Morata returns to the Bernabeu after scoring the opener in the first leg.

The Spanish international joined the Bianconeri last summer and could still return to his boyhood club should it exercise a buy-back clause at the end of the season.