Cristiano Ronaldo Calls on Real Madrid Fans to Support Team vs. Wolfsburg

Cristiano Ronaldo has called upon Real Madrid's supporters to rally behind the team and help Los Blancos overcome a 2-0 deficit in their Champions League quarter-final against Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

The Portuguese superstar spoke to the official Real Madrid website before the second-leg meeting, where he noted the fans' support could play as important a role as the performances on the pitch:

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Tuesday will be a perfect night, it will be magical, with your support us players will give everything on the pitch and we will get through to the next round. "¡Hala Madrid!"

We can win by playing well, with 11 players on the pitch, more players on the bench and the 80,000 people I would love to see fill the stadium supporting the team...Obviously, with the fans helping and supporting us it will be easier for us.

"

Manager Zinedine Zidane knows as much as any how hard it is to keep the Madridistas happy at the Bernabeu, especially after a tumultuous season that's already seen one manager, Rafa Benitez, axed from the helm.

A chorus of boos rang around the stadium on Saturday whenever right-back Danilo—who controversially started ahead of Dani Carvajal against Wolfsburg—touched the ball. Responding to those jeers, Zidane acknowledged the boos as almost part of the Real experience but noted matters are improving, per Marca:

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They are booing all the players here, but it's slowly getting better. Of course it bothers you when it's your turn. He knows what he has to do, he's a good kid and we all care a lot about him.

We're going to forget about it now. I would have loved for him to score that chance [he had]. I wanted to give him a break, but no matter what, the boos are going to hurt.

"

Goals from Maximilian Arnold and Ricardo Rodriguez saw the Wolves claim a two-goal aggregate lead in Wednesday's first leg, but building on that cushion at the Bernabeu will be a staggering task for the Germans.

Real Madrid bounced back from the midweek defeat by battering Eibar 4-0 on Saturday, however, a result BBC Sport's Andy West highlighted as ideal preparation for Tuesday's return leg:

It also bodes well for Los Merengues that their home form this season has been entirely more devastating than that on the road, winning 14 of their 17 home outings in La Liga this term.

Zidane's side have scored 64 goals in those 17 home matches—an average of 3.8 goals scored per game—compared to 29 goals scored in their 15 away league games—an average of just 1.9 goals per game.

Wolfsburg's preparation for the result has been far from ideal, too, as they drew 1-1 with Mainz on Saturday, now failing to win any of their last four domestic matchups, per Betting Expert.

Zidane expressed his nerves leading into Tuesday's second leg and refused to address the fans when asked on Saturday what his message was to the Bernabeu supporters, per Sport:

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I have nothing to say to the fans, they know what Tuesday’s game means and they know what they have to do. I hope we can make the fans proud on Tuesday.

I’m more tense than I ever was as a player but I feel good about it. We know that we have a very exciting game. When things are going badly you can do great things. We’re going to rest well, prepare the age and go all out on Tuesday. ...

We are a big and united group. The difficult thing is to only pick 11. It’s magnificent to have this squad, where everyone is able to play a big role. I’m very happy with what happened today.

"

Supporting a team of Real Madrid's stature certainly comes with its proud moments, such as the triumph of La Decima in 2014, but the Wolfsburg meeting represents a chance for fans to show their diehard allegiance.

Ronaldo is right in that the team can only benefit from hearing their followers rally behind them in their attempts to pull off a considerable comeback, and loyalties will really be tested should Wolfsburg even grab a third.

Manager Dieter Hecking's Wolfsburg side stand between Los Blancos and a place in the Champions League semi-finals, but Real's players aren't the only ones who will decide the club's fate come Tuesday.