Treble on for Real Madrid for the first time in five years
Los Blancos haven't been in this situation since 2014, with Ancelotti. That year, Madrid won their 10th Champions League and beat Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey.
It's mid-February and Santiago Solari's Real Madrid have a chance to win the treble - a situation the team has not been in since the 2013/14 season, with Carlo Ancelotti in charge. That year, Madrid won the Champions League (La Décima) and beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. In the all of the four subsequent seasons, the team was out of the running in at least one of the three competitions: Liga, Champions League or Copa del Rey by February.
Madrid are still alive in all of the competitions they're in. In LaLiga, following the recent derby win at the Wanda Metropolitano and Barcelona dropping points against Valencia and Athletic, Los Blancos are now just six points off the top of the table with 23 games played. In the Copa del Rey, the team semi-final is poised at 1-1 after the first leg against defending champions Barcelona. And in the Champions League, Solari's men gained a positive 1-2 result from the first leg of their Last 16 tie against Ajax for the return leg at the Bernabéu on 5 March.
In recent years, only Ancelotti's Madrid have been a similar, privileged postion. In 2014, Madrid had yet to play their Last 16 tie with Schalke in the Champions League, but they'd already booked their place in the Copa del Rey final after eliminating Atleti in the semis. In LaLiga, the team was tied on 57 points with Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid.
Copa del Rey ruins treble chance
In the last four seasons, it has been the Cup where Madrid have stumbled, failing to make it to the final under Ancelotti (once), Zidane (twice) and once with Benítez. Four different rivals knocked them out early in the campaign - Atleti in 2014/15, Cádiz in 2015/16 (for fielding an illegible Cheryshev), Celta in 2016/17 and Leganés last season.
