Cristiano Ronaldo has been struggling to find form for Manchester United since the turn of the year.
His goalscoring touch appears to have deserted him in the Premier League and a missed penalty in the FA Cup against Middlesbrough summed up his 2022 so far.
Before the month is out United will return to Champions League competition with a trip to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their round of 16 tie.
Albeit many will be hoping that Ronaldo rediscovers his form beforehand in matches against Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United, Red Devils fans have plenty of reason to be optimistic that the forward will turn on the charm against Atletico Madrid.
For starters, the Portuguese ace's illustrious career would not have been made possible without stellar performances on the big stage.
No-shows against so-called 'smaller clubs' could perhaps have been explained through complacency issues.
Where his great adversary Lionel Messi has been accused of going missing on the big stage, Ronaldo finds a way of improving on even his own high standards.
If that was not enough to convince you that a Ronaldo masterclass is incoming, maybe his form against Los Colchoneros will.
The 37-year-old has managed an astonishing 25 goals in just 35 appearances against Atleti.
Considering the vast majority of these fixtures came in the Madrid derby, this feat becomes even more outstanding.
Nine assists accompanied these appearances as well as 11 yellow cards.
Give us your thoughts on Ronaldo's current form below or here .
This shows that both United and Ronaldo must be cautious of letting the occasion get the better of them. The last thing they need is to go down to ten men.
Ronaldo is bound to receive a hostile welcome at the Wanda Metropolitano but there is perhaps not been a better time or place for him to reignite both his and United's season.
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