Real Madrid will try to avoid the tag of "crisis club" in clash with AC Milan

The last image of Real Madrid was the players walking back into the dressing room at the Santiago Bernabeu after having been demolished 4-0 at the hands of Real Madrid.

Adding insult to injury, the Spanish contingent refused to fly to the Ballon d'Or awards once they found out Vinicius Junior wasn't going to win the men's Ballon d'Or. That honor ended up going to Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Suffice to say it hasn't been the best couple of weeks for Los Blancos. While some may call what they're going through a "crisis," it's only a blip in the radar. That is, unless they fail to beat AC Milan in the Champions League.

Already nine points behind Barcelona -- but with a game in hand -- Real Madrid have come under their fair share of criticism. None more so than Carlo Ancelotti whose tactics, or lackthereof, have been called into questions.

Regardless, Real Madrid know they need a win against AC Milan to quite those voices. In their way stands an AC Milan side who despite positive results in Serie A, sit seventh in the table.

"It's a special match because of my past with Milan," Ancelotti said in his pre-match press conference. "Milan haven't started well, but they are always dangerous because they have great quality in attack. They have big potential; perhaps they haven't fulfilled it yet, but we must be ready for a tough game."

Milan haven't fulfilled that potential in Serie A nor in the Champions League. Milan have lost two out of their three matches and sit in 25th place. Paulo Fonseca has been on the hot seat given the way his relationship with players like Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao has deteriorated.

Both these sides have a storied history in the competition, though Real Madrid have had a better go of it in recent history.

In their last match, Real Madrid scored five goals in the second half to erase a 2-0 deficit against Borussia Dortmund. If Milan want to have a chance of getting a good result, they're going to need to be courageous in attack rather than try to sit back and defend, especially if they have a lead.

"To win a match like this, we have to defend well, have possession of the ball and create dangerous situations," Fonseca said. "A match against Real Madrid is a chance to show our quality and the way we are growing."

Real Madrid should be able to count on Rodrygo, which gives Ancelotti more options.

Both teams need to pick up a win. Real Madrid need it given everything that's happened the last 10 days or so whereas Milan need it to climb the Champions League table. A draw does little for either of them and a loss could get the alarms ringing for both of them if there isn't one blaring already.