Real Madrid must reach at least the Champions League quarterfinals – here's why

Real Madrid secured a 3-2 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout round tie. Now, it's clear why they must advance at least to the quarterfinals.

Details: According to Relevo, Real Madrid has budgeted for a Champions League quarterfinal appearance. Failing to reach this stage would result in financial losses for the club.

Despite already securing between €78-81 million in revenue from this season's competition, missing the quarterfinals would mean a shortfall of €23 million from their projected earnings. These losses would be officially recorded as financial deficits in the club’s accounts.

Reminder. Real Madrid’s leadership criticized the work of the refereeing team in the match against Espanyol (0:1), pointing out several serious mistakes by the referee. As a result, Madrid filed a complaint with the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

By the way, earlier, Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick stated that criticizing referees is not the way the Catalan club operates.