The most successful club in the 53-year history of European football’s most prestigious competition, Real Madrid are making hard work of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League and the pressure continues to build on coach Bernd Schuster.While more of their biggest rivals could clinch spots this week, Real Madrid are still in danger of being left behind in what would amount to a humiliation for the nine-time winners. Madrid will make it to the knockout phase with a victory at BATE Borisov on Tuesday if third place Zenit St. Petersburg fail to beat already qualified Juventus. But current form makes the long journey to Belarus look far more daunting than it should be.Having lost both matches to Juventus, they have only a two-point advantage over last season’s UEFA Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg with two rounds of group matches to go. “It is a difficult situation. (We’re) not scared, but not happy and we didn’t play well (against Recreativo),” said midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.Going into the next to last round of group games, only Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon and Juventus are through to the last 16. But 10 more clubs could charge through in this week’s games on Tuesday and Wednesday, including defending champion Manchester United. The Red Devils go to Spain’s Villarreal in Group E knowing that a draw will put both teams through and eliminate Celtic and Aalborg, who meet in Denmark.Villarreal come off their first league defeat of the season, a 3-0 loss to Valladolid, while United were held 0-0 by Aston Villa. United will face one of their former players, Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi. “I knew he was going to be a good player,” United defender Patrice Evra said. “If you give him the ball in the box he will score every time.”Bayern Munich and Lyon only need to draw against Steaua and Fiorentina and advance from Group F and Arsenal hope to shake off their domestic woes by advancing with a victory over Dynamo Kiev at the Emirates Stadium.The Gunners could also get there a game early with a 0-0 draw. But Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City and revelations by defender William Gallas that there is discord among some of his team mates have rocked the usually calm atmosphere at the Emirates.
