Bernabeu to play judge on Mourinho this Saturday

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium will pass down its sentence on the future of Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho when his side entertains Valladolid Saturday evening.

Real Madrid salvaged some pride Tuesday night when they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 thanks to two late goals and although the fact is that for all but the last two minutes of the game they never looked as if they were going to overturn the 1-4 deficit from the first leg, it did allow for a certain feel good factor among the fans, reports Xinhua.

That feel good factor lasted for just as long as it took Mourinho to tell the cameras of British TV Station, ITV that next season he would maybe be at a club where the fans "loved" him, virtually confirming his departure at the end of the current season.

The reaction did not take long in coming with Mourinho criticised in the Spanish press and also by a group of fans at the gates of the club's training ground Thursday.

The press have already begun speculating who will be in charge at the Bernabeu next season, with Paris Saint Germain's Carlo Ancelotti top of the list of candidates to replace Mourinho.

Nor have the press wasted time in looking at who will be in an who will be out of the Real Madrid squad next season, which is bad news for Gonzalo Higuain, Kaka, Fabio Coentrao and Angel de Maria, who are favourites to be sold in order to finance new signings.

Mourinho will almost certainly come in for criticism from the stands, while some players such as Higuain, who missed an early chance against Borussia, may also hear some jeers, despite his excellent numbers with the club.

There are some selection questions for the Valladolid match, with Sergio Ramos struggling with a muscle problem, while Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa, who has an ankle injury. The good news is that it looks as if Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to play despite having suffered a muscle injury in the past week and looking below his best on Tuesday night.