Champions League: Lopez urges Madrid to defend lead

Galatasaray face Los Blancos in second-leg of quarters.

MADRID: Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez has said scoring will be the key as his side looks to defend a 3-0 lead when they travel to face Galatasaray for the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final today.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain have put Los Blancos within touching distance of their third consecutive Champions League semi-final, but Lopez insists they have to maintain their attacking instinct for the second-leg.

“The tie is not decided because we know what football is like,” Lopez told the club’s website. “We are going to a difficult ground to play a team that is better than they showed in the first-leg.

“It is obvious that 3-0 is a very good result for us, but I think the key will be to score a goal there and then that will practically put us through.

“Our mentality has to be to be to go there and score. To rely on the 3-0 would be an error.”

Despite the deficit facing their side, Galatasaray fans are still sure to create a hostile atmosphere at the Turk Telekom Arena, but Lopez is confident Madrid’s players have the experience to cope with such surroundings.

“Although the players here are very young, they have a lot of experience. They are all internationals and have played in championships worldwide with their national teams and other teams.

“In this sense I don’t think age influences anything, it is the team that influences matters. The intention we have to show is to go there and try to stop the atmosphere that is going to be in their favour.”

The Spanish champions will travel to Turkey without the suspended Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso as they picked up cautions late on in the first-leg to ensure they would not risk suspension for the semi-finals.

Malaga have all to play for at Dortmund

Malaga defender Martin Demichelis has said the Spaniards are ready to fight for their place in the Champions League semi-finals at Borussia Dortmund today.

Dortmund wasted a string of chances to claim a valuable away goal at Malaga when last Wednesday’s quarter-final first-leg finished 0-0 after some heroics from the home side’s Argentinian goal-keeper Willy.

The draw means there is all to play for at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park stadium, but Malaga have both Brazilian captain Weligton and mid-fielder Manuel Iturra suspended for the return leg.

“The tie is still totally open,” said Demichelis. “It’ll be difficult in Dortmund, you always come under a great deal of pressure at their stadium, but it’s 11 versus 11 and there are thousands of examples in this competition to say we can go to Dortmund and score.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2013.