Toni Kroos from defending champion Real Madrid is optimistic about the first leg of the giant duel in the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday (9:00 p.m. / Prime Video) against Manchester City.
“We have already played many games of this kind,” said the 2014 world champion on Monday: “I am convinced of our experience.”
Despite all the routine, Kroos expects a close encounter against the reigning English champions. “We expect a strong Manchester City,” said the 33-year-old: “Barca, Bayern, now. You can see that they are Pep’s teams.”
Guardiola’s teams “are always looking for improvements, they do it with game ideas or signings,” said Kroos – who jokingly added: “Haaland scored 50 goals, I think it didn’t go badly.”
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti also paid tribute to the Norwegian goal machine. “Haaland is a very dangerous player, he shows impressive quality,” said the Italian: “He’s an obvious danger. But just talking about Haaland doesn’t mean talking about a full team that’s attacking and has ideas. We have no intention of stopping Haaland.”
Real is going into the duel with City for national player Ilkay Gündogan with a lot of tailwind. Just last Saturday, Los Blancos were crowned Spanish Cup winners with a 2-1 win in the Copa del Rey final against CA Osasuna. “The plan is to play a full game,” said Ancelotti. “We want to get a small lead.”