UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: JUANDE RAMOS insists that his Real Madrid future does not rest on whether his side reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Former Spurs coach Ramos is in charge at the Bernabeu on a short-term contract until the end of the season, and tonight Madrid must overcome a 1-0 deficit from the first-leg of their last-16 clash with Liverpool to stay in the competition.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has regularly been linked with the Bernabeu position. But Ramos yesterday insisted he was under no pressure, saying: “I still have three and a half months left on this contract, and I feel very comfortable about that.
“This is not a subject that will be addressed until June, but whether we win tomorrow or get eliminated, it will not influence my contract.” Real have been knocked out at the last-16 stage for the past three seasons, and Ramos is determined to change that statistic.
He said: “This game requires a fine performance, and if we do turn this result around it will restore some of the club’s prestige in this tournament. I hope that we can achieve such a result and take the club closer to another final.
“The first leg was a real tactical battle, but we are only halfway through, we are confident we can turn things around and reverse 0-1 deficit. My players are convinced they can do this, we must work, though, as hard as we can.”
Ramos revealed he was unconcerned over the availability of Liverpool’s injury doubts, with Fernando Torres, Alvaro Arbeloa, Daniel Agger and Yossi Benayoun all requiring late fitness tests.
Ramos said: “Knowing who will play for Liverpool is not something I can control, but Liverpool do not base their success on one individual and they always have a squad and strength in depth, it is never about just one player.
“We accept that it is tough at this stage, but must deal with it, but we have the quality to go through. This competition is all about bringing out the best in a team.” And he believes that Madrid’s impressive recent away form in La Liga, will help them at Anfield.
He said: “Victories breed confidence. The great run of unbeaten away games does give us confidence for this match.
“This is a delightful, delicious game, and it is sad that one great side will be left by the wayside.”
Captain Raul, Madrid’s record goalscorer and the leading scorer in the European Cup, hopes the Spanish champions will be inspired and not intimidated by the Anfield atmosphere.
Raul has, in fact, watched matches at Anfield as a fan, invited to the ground by the Spanish contingent in the Liverpool squad.
He said: “I hope the home crowd has an influence on us, I have been here as a fan, and it is a spectacular atmosphere. And we will not be too concerned if Liverpool score early, because we could still go through with a 2-1 win. But we do not want it to be goalless until the last few minutes, and then for them to score.”
With three years of Premier League experience under his belt, Lassana Diarra is the Madrid star who should be most familiar with Liverpool and what to expect at Anfield. He said: “We need to remain cool and collected because we won’t go anywhere if we worry about all the surroundings.”
