Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno has claimed April will be a defining month for the club’s season both domestically and in Europe.
Los Blancos are hopeful of an unprecedented 12 Champions League crown and to become the first ever club to win the competition back-to-back in its current format, whilst they are looking for a record-extending 33rd La Liga crown.
The former striker had an 11-year career in Madrid’s first team, but is anxious about a tough month which will see five La Liga outings including games against Atletico and Barcelona, along with a Champions League double against Bayern Munich.
"This will be an awesome April. Everything that the team has worked so hard for this season will be determined over the next few weeks,” Butragueno told ESPN.
“This is one of the most pressurised months that I can remember because of the quality of opposition and the proximity of such high-profile games.
"Bayern Munich in the Champions League? This is the team that all of us wanted to avoid. These will be very risky matches.
"These are the two best teams in Europe, there is little to choose between them and for me, this should have been the final.
"The key to who wins will be how the important players in both sides perform. For Real, it is also vital to return to the Bernabeu with something. You saw what Bayern did to Arsenal so keeping a clean sheet and perhaps getting an away goal could be the difference."