The Schalke defender insists that the Spanish side will be http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Blooming-c38649 with confidence after their win against Manchester United.
Die Knappen will take on Athletic Bilbao in the first-leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-final at the Veltins-Arena on Thursday, March 29. The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Twente-c39233 in the knock-out stage with a 4-2 aggregate
whereas the Spanish side shocked English champions Manchester United 5-3 on aggregate.
Escudero claimed that Athletic Bilbao are a great team and the way they played against Manchester United would have given them great confidence. The player admitted that the opposition are in sensational form at the moment and
underestimating them would be a huge mistake on Schalke’s part.
The defender added that Schalke have the quality and are certainly capable of beating any team in Europe. He insisted that the match will be a very competitive one with both sides having a chance to qualify for the next round.
“Athletic are a big team in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011. We have to be very careful in both games. One of their strengths is the great sense of togetherness in the team. And when their attacking game gets going they're a very difficult side to stop.
We're capable of matching any team left in the competition. I think we have a good chance of reaching the semi-final,” he was quoted as saying in an interview.
The 22-year old hailed the quality in Bilbao’s ranks and voiced his admiration for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fernando-Llorente-c13671. He admitted that the striker has been in sensational form this season and his physical presence can cause Schalke some problems
in the game.
“Llorente has exceptional qualities. He's big and very strong physically. But he's not the only one we have to keep quiet. It's going to be a tough task for us,” he concluded.
Die Knappen will be looking to secure a formidable advantage in the first-leg so that they have something to play for in the second-leg a week later. The Royal Blues will be looking to qualify for the semi-final of the competition
after reaching the same stage last year in the UEFA Champions League.
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