MADRID (AFP) - Fans of Real Madrid and Roma have not had much to smile about in recent weeks but a victory in their Champions League Group B match would provide a welcome lift for one of them.
Things can only get better as both clubs have hit rock bottom despite the season hardly being underway.
Real have lost three of their last four games, including a 3-0 thrashing at Bayer Leverkusen in their opening Champions League outing, and former Spanish national coach Jose Antonio Camacho resigned last Monday.
"We have an obligation to our supporters to win against Roma. If we can get a victory against Roma then it could ignite a winning streak," Real midfielder Albert Celades said optimisticaly on Sunday.
Roma are in a similar slump to Real.
They have garnered only four points from a possible 12 in their first four Serie A matches, have had to forfeit their opening Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev after referee Anders Frisk was hit in the face by a flying object, and Rudi Voller followed Camacho's lead and quit as their coach on Saturday.
Both teams are casting around for permanent coaching replacements but, in the meantime, Real caretaker Mariano Garcia Remon has a chance to push his candidacy with a strong display from his side.
Garcia Remon will have former Roma defender Walter Samuel at his disposal and the Argentine is expected to start in the centre of the defence, but will have to do without the injured Zinedine Zidane and Santiago Solari.
There are also doubts over the English international pair of David Beckham and Michael Owen.
Beckham was diagnosed as suffering from a fever on Sunday, and missed training after a lacklustre performance in Saturday's 2-1 loss at Athletic Bilbao.
"We will have to see how he goes over the next 48 hours," said Real medical officials.
Owen had a thigh strain in training last week and did not travel to Bilbao.
Roma have included former Real Madrid defender Christian Panucci in their 20-man squad.
Panucci was the right back in Real's 1998 Champions League winning side but never popular with the Madrid faithful and he is assured a mixed reception on his return to the Bernabeu.
One man missing from the squad chosen by caretaker coach Ezio Sella is striker Marco Delvecchio, who was injured in Roma's latest ignomy, the 3-1 loss at Bologna on Saturday.
Egyptian international Ahmed Hossam is likely to take Delvecchio's place in the Roma starting lineup.
Hossam, often known by his nickname 'Mido', knows plenty about Real from his spell at former Spanish first division side Celta Vigo two seasons ago and he also scored against them in last season's Champions League when playing for Marseille.
"You just look at Real and you see quality throughout their team but there are ways through their defence. Samuel is there now and will have tightened things up, but I've got goals against them before and would hope to do so again," said Mido recently.
If Mido does find his mark, or Roma repeat the 1-0 win they achieved on the last occasion they played in the Bernabeu in 1992, then Real will really be in a crisis.