Gareth Bale and Co train ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Ajax

Real Madrid will once again turn to the Champions League to salvage their season after back-to-back defeats by rivals Barcelona wrecked their chances of domestic glory.

Not only did Barcelona knock them out of the Copa del Rey at the semi-final stage with a 3-0 win at the Bernabeu last Wednesday, they also won 1-0 on the same ground in La Liga on Saturday night.

That result put them 12 points clear of third-placed Real in the league standings and seven ahead of Atletico Madrid in second position.

Bale and his team-mates were training ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Ajax

Real take a 2-1 advantage into the second leg of the last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu

Defender Sergio Ramos takes a tumble during Monday morning’s training session

And so with their hopes of domestic honours essentially over, Santiago Solari will pin hopes on a fourth consecutive victory in Europe’s premier competition.

They will take a 2-1 advantage into Tuesday night’s Champions League last-16, second-leg meeting with Ajax and the under-pressure manager knows their is little margin for error.

Solari took training at Real’s Valdebebas training complex on Monday morning ahead of what is now the make-or-break match of their season.

Gareth Bale and Co looked in high spirits despite recent setbacks with the squad taking it in turns to show off their fancy flicks and tricks during the training-ground exercises.

But the Welshman won’t be in the Spanish capital for too much longer, if newspaper reports from the weekend are to be believed.

Ramos finds himself in the middle of a Rondo as Real prepare for their Ajax fixture

French striker Karim Benzema heads the ball as Real prepare for the last-16, second leg

Young Brazilian star Vinicius Junior could prove vital to their European hopes this season

Solari is under intense pressure following back-to-back losses to their bitter rivals Barcelona

According to Spanish outlet AS on Saturday, Florentino Perez has ran out of patience with the £86m signing – and he won’t back down having now decided upon terminating the Welshman’s Bernabeu stay.

The 29-year-old has been linked with Manchester United in the past. In 2017, AS cited an attempt to offload the Welshman to Old Trafford to free up some capital in order to acquire Kylian Mbappe from Monaco.

Bale refused to budge and despite another season peppered by persistent injuries, he went on to score twice from the bench in the Champions League final against Liverpool.

Marcelo shows off some nice Brazilian flair as Real geared up for their meeting with Ajax

But Marcelo didn’t appear to be holding back when he slid in on team-mate Raphael Varane

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was also floored during a competitive training session

Midfielder Luka Modric took a tumble as well and was helped up by Benzema

Benzema, Courtois and Marcelo joke around as Real keeps spirits high during training 

That season has summed up his time in Spain. Since joining Los Blancos in 2013, Bale has repeatedly found himself in the treatment room due to injury, reducing the number of matches he has played on the field.

Bale’s introverted character has also not endeared him to his team-mates, with Marcelo revealing he rarely speaks with the Welshman despite sitting next to him in the changing rooms, while Thibaut Courtois said his nickname was ‘the golfer’.

The Wales international has not learned Spanish despite living in Spain for six years, and after scoring against Levante last weekend he shrugged attempts from his team-mates to celebrate with him after he scored.