It is a sign of the times at Real that victory would also give the six times European Champions their first win away from home for more than six months.And it could even save the job of coach Jupp Heynckes, who has suffered a barrage of criticism throughout his first season at the club. They have certainly looked impressive this season in Europe but on the domestic front they have repeatedly been forced to play second fiddle to Barcelona.

Ironically, the season began on a positive note, when Real recovered from a 2-1 first leg defeat to beat their arch-rivals in the Spanish Super Cup. Real managed to keep in touch withBarcelona in the league despite losing 3-2 to the Catalans in the Santiago Bernabeu in November. Fortunately for Heynckes, Barcelona were nearly as inconsistent for most of the season.Things suddenly clicked for the Catalans just after mid-season and Real were on the wrong end of a 3-0 hammering in the Nou Camp in March. From then on Real were fighting a losing battle for second place.

Appropriately the Barcelona game ended with neither defensive maestro Fernando Hierro -- who was sent off -- nor striker Raul Gonzalez on the field.

Both men have been dogged by injury and loss of form this season and without their match-winning contributions Real have had to rely increasingly on the inspiration of Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos.

Roberto Carlos scored with a superb speculative shot to put his side ahead against Tenerife, another game that Real let slip. After leading 3-1, they went down 4-3 in the closing minutes after losing focus, the kind of slip that became all too common during the season.

Gameslike that, and the 1-0 defeat at Espanyol two weeks ago, inevitably brought calls for Heynckes' resignation.

The murmur became a scream when Real crashed out of the Spanish Cup in the first round at the hands of Second Division Alaves. Club president Lorenzo Sanz gave Heynckes the backhanded compliment saying it is not easy to find capable coaches mid-season.

Heynckes's saving grace was the fact that the team was doing well in Europe.For Sanz, as for most Real fans, the idea of taking a seventh European Cup -- something the Spanish press simply calls `La Septima', or `The Seventh' -- has become an all-consuming obsession.

After thrashing Norway's Rosenborg Trondheim 4-1 in the Bernabeu in their opening champions' league clash, Real eased to 2-0 win in Porto before thrashing Olympiakos Piraeus 5-1 in Madrid.

Despite a shock 2-0 defeat in the snow at Rosenborg, a 4-0 home thrashing to Porto saw them top their group and qualify comfortably for the knockout stages.

A goalless draw in Dortmund sealedtheir passage but Real officials, who believe they were singled out for unnecessary blame, have been quick to highlight subsequent problems over re-scheduling air traffic in Amsterdam ahead of the final.

All those difficulties will be forgotten if Real can win their first European Cup since the glory days of 1966.