Torres picked up an ankle injury in the 1-0 first-leg victory of the last-16 clash with the Spanish champions and has not played since.

But boss Rafael Benitez is confident that the striker will be involved in the battle to reach the quarter-finals.

And there is a good chance that full-back Alvaro Arbeloa will also have recovered from a hamstring injury to face Real.

Benitez said: "Fernando is improving but it is still too soon to say if he will be fit.

"He is working hard with the physios and we now have two or three more training sessions before we have to make a decision.

"I think he can be close but each player is different. We just have to wait and see.

"Arbeloa is much the same as Torres and we will try to push him harder over the next couple of days."

Another player fighting to regain fitness in time for the second leg is Daniel Agger, who has a back problem.

Benitez added: "It will be harder for Agger but he too is working hard with the physios. All three could be close."