Xabi Alonso looking forward to "special" Bernabéu return
The former Real Madrid midfielder will return to his old club with Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Xabi Alonso spoke after Friday’s Champions League draw pitted his current club, Bayern Munich, against his former one, Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition.
It will be a great tie,” the midfielder said. “Both clubs are historical greats in Europe and for me it will be a very special match-up. We are ready for it. The most important thing is to get a decent result from the away leg as we know how difficult is to play in the Bernabéu. That said, they also know what it means to visit us in the Allianz Arena.”
Rummenigge: "It's 50-50"
Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also reflected on the draw and predicted a close encounter: “They have won the competition 11 times. Our motivation will be huge: it’s a 50-50 tie. But there is an unwritten law that the defending champions never retain the trophy, which will work in our favour. We know all about Real Madrid, we’ve played them several times in recent years but that also means that they know us inside out. Both sides are very familiar with each other and we have several Spanish players who know their players very well.”
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