Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has said the Santiago Bernabeu must be a fortress if the club is to retain the Champions League.
The 10-time Champions League winners take on Schalke in the second leg of their last-16 tie holding a 2-0 from the trip to Germany. Los Blancos will be confident they can put their domestic woes behind them and progress to the quarter finals once more and take another step on the road to Berlin.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Casillas said the team would need to make the Bernabeu an intimidating place for visiting teams. He added that for the team to retain the trophy, every player in the squad needs to be hungry for success.
“We have desire and a strong team full of experience, from last year and previous years. We also have the experience of three semi-finals where we were very close but did not reach the final. Now we have greater maturity and things have gone better. If we play well at the Bernanbéu and make it our fortress, away from home if we play like we did last year, then we have the chance to go far,” he stated.
Asked about the chances of lifting the cup two years in a row, the club legend added: “Real Madrid is the only team that can do it because we won last year. We know that it will be very difficult but we will fight to achieve it. We are ambitious, with a mixture of youth and experience, why not?”
