Tuesday, 22nd April, 2014
Atletico Madrid midfielder Raul Garcia has said that he expects a very physical and even encounter with Chelsea, when the two sides meet each other in the first leg of their semi-final clash in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderon today.
Diego Simeone’s side made it to the last four of the European tournament by overcoming Spanish rivals Barcelona in the quarter-finals, and are leading La Liga’s table, while Jose Mourinho’s side, who qualified for the semi-final on an away goal advantage over Paris-Saint Germain, are on the back of a 2-1 loss against Sunderland in a league game.
The Red and Whites have an unbeaten record against an English side at home, and will be looking to pull off another win against the Blues, having defeated them 4-1 the last time two sides clashed in the UEFA Super Cup in 2012, but Garcia is not ready to take things for granted and feels his team are up for the challenge.
"Chelsea play more or less the same way as us. It will be a physical game. We don't fear them; we are talking about football. They are a strong rival but instead of fear we have respect", the star was quoted as saying by UEFA’s site.
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"They have very good players. We know how we have to prepare. We know we will have to look to have a good defence and makes sure they don't score.
"We are aware of the importance of the match but we must only focus on the game. We need to block out information from the press and other sources. We need to concentrate only on playing the game", the 27-year-old added.
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