Real Madrid are now having to place all their eggs in one, Champions League-shaped basket for the remainder of the season. 

Within a matter of days, Barcelona put paid to their hopes in the Copa del Rey and La Liga with back-to-back victories in the Bernabeu.

Santiago Solari's position could therefore depend on steering his side past Ajax in the second leg of the last-16. 

Los Blancos have a 2-1 lead from the first leg, but they will be without Sergio Ramos, whose one-game ban has been doubled after he appeared to deliberately get himself booked in Amsterdam. 

If Solari is to remain in a job beyond the summer, however, the consensus is he'll need to pull off something spectacular in the competition. 

When the former Castilla coach took over from Julen Lopetegui, he briefly seemed to have turned the first team's fortunes around, but that optimism was short-lived. 

As Luka Modric alluded to in a press conference on Monday, Real have failed to effectively replace Cristiano Ronaldo and senior players haven't stepped up to fill that void. 

That is not solely Solari's fault, but it's likely that he's the one who will take the fall when Florentino Perez goes to make changes at the end of the campaign. 

As such, AS claim that the Madrid hierarchy have already identified three possible candidates to replace him. 

Massimiliano Allegri

The Juventus boss looks set to steer his side to an eighth successive Scudetto. The Bianconeri lead second-placed Napoli by a mammoth 16 points in Serie A.

The appeal of leaving Turin might lie in seeking out a fresh challenge. A Champions League title continues to elude him. 

Joachim Low

The 2014 World Cup is obviously the standout point on the German's CV. Last year's campaign in Russia was nowhere near as glorious, with critics questioning whether Low was still able to motivate his players.

The 59-year-old is keen to return to club management and has reportedly impressed Perez with his coaching methods and his handling of the media. 

Mauricio Pochettino 

It will come as news to very few that the Argentine is being monitored by the European champions. Pochettino signed a new contract at Tottenham in May, though that was largely to ensure his assistants were given a pay-rise. 

The 47-year-old is yet to win a trophy in his managerial career, but has impressed nonetheless, helping Spurs to become Champions League regulars in spite of financial restrictions and their lack of a permanent home over the past year and a half. 

The fact that Real have drawn up a shortlist at all does not bode well for Solari, who is already the third manager to sit in the Bernabeu hot seat in less than a year.