Real Madrid winger James Rodriguez has called on his team mates to show intensity and purpose from the first minute to the last against Atletico de Madrid.
The two teams meet for the eighth time this season – this time in the Champions League quarter-final – at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, with Los Blancos looking for their first win.
Real are facing a selection crisis, with Marcelo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric all unavailable.
Speaking to the club’s official website ahead of the game, the Colombian said whoever starts needs to show the right level of commitment throughout.
“We have to show intensity, be completely focused, play well, (we must) all stick together. I think that if we do that we’ll come away with an excellent result,” he stated.
And he added: We’re all dreaming of getting through this round, and if I can score too that’d be great. What’s important is winning and getting through this tough match, which is going to be difficult, but we’re here at our home stadium and in front of our fans. I think it could be a great match.
“Atletico are an intense team who are good at the back and are a unit. There’s always pressure here. You have to know how to handle it. We’re going to give everything to be able to win La Undecima.”
