Real Madrid winger James Rodriguez says the team does not fear anyone but are respectful of Juventus ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg.
Los Blancos welcome the Italians to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night knowing the must win if they are to secure a passage to their second consecutive final. They lost 2-1 in Turin last week, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s away goal will give Carlo Ancelotti’s players hope they can come back.
Speaking to El Pais, Rodriguez, a summer signing from Monaco, said the players are aware of the task ahead of them but do not fear it.
“Real Madrid don’t fear anyone. We respect all the teams in the world, and we know what Italian teams are like – they defend very well and we will have to be very good to break through their defence. We have to score goals and if we manage that we will be going to the final in Berlin,” he stated.
He went on to discuss his missed chance in the first leg, a header that hit the bar, but said he is pleased with his overall form.
“It was a strange episode when I hit the bar because it was a defender who hit the ball with his toe and diverted it onto the crossbar, it happens once in every 20 attempts and it happened to me.
“I’ve always been competitive ever since I was a child and my number has always been 10. I’m having a good season and I’m in good form, I definitely want to continue on this road to help the team to achieve the goals.”
