Emilio Butragueno has remarked that he is ‘glad’ with Real Madrid’s draw against the European minnows in the quarter finals.
Real Madrid director, Butragueno, expressed that it is an advantage to the Spanish giants that they do not have to face tougher opponents in the final eight of the Champions League.
He commented that Los Blancos have a greater chance of qualifying to the semi-finals now that they face APOEL.
The former Madrid striker maintained that the Cyprian club caused a number of upsets in their European campaign this season and stressed that the Vikingos have great respect for the newcomers.
The retired footballer expressed that the nine-time European champions cannot afford to take the draw against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ivan-c17215 Jovanovic’s men for granted. He added that Jose Mourinho’s men will not underestimate the threat posed by APOEL.
Los Merengues have enjoyed quite a successful campaign in the UEFA Champions League so far this season. They were able to complete the group stage of the prestigious tournament by wining all of their matches, and topping the group.
On the other hand, APOEL had a topsy-turvy time in Europe as they usually had to face tougher adversity.
The Cyprots were significantly impressive in their pre-quarterfinal draw as they managed to eliminate http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-Lyonnais-c40130 from the coveted tournament.
While addressing the press, Butragueno was quoted as saying:
“You never know, football is unpredictable but it’s true that there were very, very strong teams and we wanted to avoid them so who knows. But of course, APOEL have been the big surprise in this competition and we have to be extremely respectful.”
“They’ve reached the quarter-final so it means they are a very strong team. We have to be very focused on every detail and be alert. But let’s say that on paper there were other teams, in my opinion, that were stronger than APOEL.”
“What we have to do is be very, very focused on the next game and try to reach the semi-final."
The two teams will come face to face for the first time when Los Blancos travel away from home to play the first leg on March 27th.
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