Zinedine Zidane: “we’re missing Ronaldo”.

REAL Madrid go into their Champions League quarter-final with Monaco tonight on the back of two defeats which have rocked the reigning Spanish champions.

An extra-time defeat to Real Zaragoza in the Spanish Cup final was a surprise but when the famous white shirts crashed 4-2 to Athletic Bilbao in the league on Saturday, it was the first time this season they had lost two consecutive matches.

However Zinedine Zidane, who has recently been unable to lift the team in his normal fashion, dismissed suggestions that a team who have won the Champions League twice in the past four years were a diminished force as they prepare for the visit of Didier Deschamps' side.

"We need to get our confidence, our game and our concentration back, but there is no frailness about us," Zidane said.

"We have to forget these last two defeats and especially the one against Zaragoza.

"It's always bad to lose in a final but that happens in the course of a season. But we can win against Monaco."

The current World Player of the Year said the team was not tired and believes their problems have coincided with the absence of Brazilian striker Ronaldo, due to a thigh injury.

"We're still running as well as we were," Zidane said.

"It's not a physical problem and it's not that we're not creating any scoring chances. We are, but we're missing Ronaldo."

The Brazilian is set to play at least part of the match at the Bernabeu on Wednesday. And Real may need him as his fellow striker Raul is doubtful after injuring a thigh in the Bilbao match.

Roberto Carlos must sit out the game as the Brazilian left-back completes a two-match suspension for slapping Bayern Munich player Martin Demichelis in the previous round.

David Beckham is expected to start the match.

Monaco have also hit a rocky patch of domestic form two draws in the league came either side of elimination from the French Cup at the hands of amateurs Chateauroux and they have lost the lead in the league to Lyon.

Real hope Monaco striker Fernando Morientes will not feel too much at home when he returns to the Bernabeu. Strong in the air and quick to pounce, Morientes is just the sort of player capable of exploiting weaknesses in Real's defence.

Loaned out at the beginning of the season to Monaco, Morientes has played down talk he has a point to prove in a match between two sides who have allowed large leads in their domestic leagues to melt away.

"There's no doubt that it will be a special day for me," he said. "But I'm going to try and keep a cool head. I don't have anything to prove to anyone there."

The 27-year-old, who won the Champions League three times with Real, believes his new side can cause an upset.

"Real are the favourites, but we have a chance of knocking them out if we work harder."

Monaco welcome back their captain Ludovic Giuly but midfield pacemaker Lucas Bernardi is doubtful after suffering a head injury in a 1-1 draw with Sochaux at the weekend.

Central defender Sebastien Squillaci is set to make his return after a month out with injury and Deschamps recognises his rearguard are the key.

"I'm realistic," said Deschamps. "Player for player it's weighed in their favour from the start. We will have to limit their chances.

"But Real haven't had the best preparation for this match either. For me, preparing for it has been exciting both tactically and psychologically."

(Probable teams):

Real Madrid: Casillas, Salgado, Helguera, Mejia or Pavon, Bravo; Figo, Beckham, Guti, Zidane, Raul or Solari, Ronaldo.

Monaco: Roma; Evra, Rodriguez, Squillaci or Givet, Ibarra or Givet; Bernardi or Cisse, Zikos, Rothen, Giuly; Prso, Morientes Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).