Sidney Sam has insisted Schalke are not afraid of Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team-mates ahead of the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie at the Veltins Arena on Wednesday.
The Bundesliga outfit were thrashed 9-2 on aggregate at the same stage last season, yet Sam feels Schalke have since become a much more stable side and could spring a surprise against the reigning champions.
"Real Madrid have a world-class squad full of big names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and many more," Sam was quoted as saying on the official Schalke website.
"But if we defend in a compact manner, we will make life difficult for any team in the world.
"We have good players too. I’m certain that we’re going to have chances.
"It’s a new season, a new situation. I think we are more stable as a team this year.
"Our fans believe in us, we believe in ourselves – these are key features should we wish to succeed against Real."
The return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu will take place on March 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment