Alvaro Arbeloa insisted on Tuesday that his Real Madrid side “should not feel inferior” to Manchester City, as the two teams prepare to face off in the Champions League round of 16.
City defeated Madrid 2-1 in a dominant performance at the Bernabeu in La Liga last December, a match that hastened the departure of Arbeloa’s predecessor, Xabi Alonso.
“We are Real Madrid, we never feel inferior to anyone,” Arbeloa said. “We shouldn’t feel inferior to anyone. We all know the opponent well: the club, the coach, and the players. They were the champions two years ago, but we’re going into the game with a lot of enthusiasm… Tomorrow we’ll play to win.”
Arbeloa was part of the Madrid team that faced Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona more than a decade ago, and now he faces the tactician for the first time as a manager. He commented, “Pep always has a surprise up his sleeve. No matter what teams he plays, he’s a coach who has prepared something different.”
He concluded, “I’d be surprised if he didn’t make any changes to their structure, their attacking style, or include a player who hasn’t played recently.”
