The only thing going through my mind when watching today's draw was the potential of facing Barcelona, at whatever stage. Not only are they Madrid's biggest threat to claiming their tenth European Cup, but everything that comes with a Clasico - as we saw last season - isn't easy on the head, or the heart, whatever the outcome.
I was therefore pleased to see the only time we could come up against Pep and his boys would be in the final. The idea of four matches in such a short space of time last season - the two Champions League matches, Copa del Rey final and Liga match - was thrilling. A year on, it's nice to be able to sit back and hopefully see Los Blancos cruise to Liga victory and await a possible huge season finale against Los Cules. Nice, of course, with full respect to APOEL and their triumphant run in the Champions League this season, and the potentially tougher last-eight clash against Bayern Munich or Marseilles.
Again, with respect to the rest of the teams left in the competition, the prospect of a Champions League Clasico final is a thrilling one. Hopefully, Madrid can tie up La Liga with games to space, meaning Mourinho's men, and the Catalans, can turn their focus firmly on a possible final should they reach Munich. A one-off, end-of-season Clasico clash to decide the champions of Europe? Yes please. I can just picture Mourinho licking his lips at the prospect. The chance to forget all those other Clasico losses since his arrival, The prospect to show how far Madrid have come. The prospect to lay claim to Los Blancos now being the best team in the land, and not Barcelona.
That's still a way off, but let's look at Madrid's possible route to the Allianz Arena. First up, Cyprus and APOEL. A club that's enjoyed a fairytale run in the competition this season, knocking Lyon out on penalties at the last 16 stage. They'll go into the game as underdogs with nothing to lose and everything to gain, which could be problematic for Madrid. But Mourinho's machine-like approach should mean Madrid have few problems in progressing to the last-four. The draw couldn't have been much kinder to them, especially with teams such as Barca, Milan, Bayern and former club Chelsea still involved - it could have been worse. Xabi Alonso will miss the first leg of the match through suspension, but it looks like a good one to miss.
The draw for the semi-finals also took place and pitted either Madrid or APOEL against Bayern or Marseilles. A tougher tie, should Los Blancos progress. The German club may be five points behind Dortmund in the Bundesliga but they've excelled in the Champions League and hit seven at home in their last match against Basel. They've the added incentive of the final taking place at their home stadium, something that's sure to give them some extra bite. It should also help Madrid, too, if they meet Bayern in the last four. The experience of playing at the Allianz Arena just weeks before a potential final could work in their favour.
It's back to Liga action this weekend and the visit of Malaga to the Bernabeu. Manuel Pellegrini's big-spending side occupy the final Champions League spot going into the match and will be keen to hold on to that, but their splashing of the cash couldn't even put a dent in Madrid in the reverse fixture earlier in the season when Los Blancos ran out 4-0 winners to put the Andalusians firmly in their place.
Madrid go into the game on the back of eleven straight league wins, and although they looked fortunate to beat Betis last weekend, the result did more to confirm my belief the Liga trophy is heading to the Bernabeu, rather than dent it. Those kind of scrappy wins are the wins that help claim titles, and Los Blancos have enjoyed a few of those this year. They're the type of games Madrid may well lose without the winning machine of Mourinho on the touchline. Sure, there was a bit of luck in there with two penalty decisions that went very much for Los Blancos, but you always need a bit of luck in a season.
Mourinho himself said he felt for Betis in the post-match press conference. His future has been up in the air in recent weeks, especially following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas at his former club Chelsea. Would he stay or would he go at the end of the season? It was always my belief that, with concerns amongst the Madrid hierarchy and fanbase over Madrid's style since Jose's arrival, Mourinho would stay until the 'job was done'. That means winning not only La Liga, which he looks set to do this season, but also the Champions League. That's unless he was pushed before. But even if he does complete a remarkable double this season, the noises coming from the Bernabeu seem to indicate he'll still be in the Spanish capital for the next season at least.
Emilio Butragueno, a Madrid director, said that he expects Mourinho still to be at the Bernabeu next season when asked the question at today's Champions League draw. This follows Cristiano Ronaldo stating to reporters that "Mourinho will stay with Real Madrid next season" after Wednesday night's win over CSKA. The speculation won't stop, but the signs are there that Jose will remain at Madrid next season.
I'll finish by wishing Eric Abidal well following the news he'll undergo a liver transplant. There was a nice touch at the Bernabeu before Wednesday's Champions League match against CSKA when a picture of Abidal, along with a best wishes message, was put up on the Madrid scoreboards at either end of the stadium. I, and am sure all Madridistas, will echo those sentiments and wish the Frenchman all the best.
Hala Madrid!
Follow me on Twitter: @nicholasrigg
Nick Rigg is a sports journalist for a regional newspaper in Yorkshire. From 'God's Own County' he ardently follows 'God's Own Team' - Real Madrid, a club he fell in love with from his first visit to the Bernabeu a decade ago. Extra Madrid content can be found at his blog 
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