Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa has made his team's main goal clear ahead of the Champions League knockout stages. Madrid will face Benfica away on February 17 in the second leg, and according to Arbeloa, this clash is not about "emotions" but about a bigger goal.
"Not just getting knocked out, but winning the Champions League"
The expert's words convey a clear message: Real Madrid have not come to this stage to "take revenge" on anyone, but to win a trophy.
“Our goal is not just to eliminate Benfica from the competition, but to win the Champions League. This is what the club’s emblem demands. Getting through this stage is not revenge, but a step towards a common goal,” Arbeloa told Mundo Deportivo.
In other words, for the “royal club,” the playoffs are not a “field for revenge,” but a direct path to a major trophy.
The 4-2 defeat in the first leg has become “history”
Arbeloa also touched on the previous match. According to him, that defeat has already been discussed, and now the new game is a new scenario.
“The defeat in Lisbon? It’s a new match, the previous one has already been analyzed. I believe that the players can play even better and we have to show ourselves at a high level,” he said.
There is one signal in these words: the team will not cling to the past, but will draw conclusions and “rewrite” the result.
Why are they playing in the playoffs?
Let's remind you that in the general stage of the Champions League, Benfica defeated Real Madrid 4:2. For this reason, the "royal club" did not directly advance to the 1/8 finals and is participating in the playoffs.
The fans expect one thing
As Arbeloa said, the "Real" emblem is always demanding: here it is not enough to say "we played well", we need results. Now, in the first match in Lisbon, the Madrid team must demonstrate its "big goal" in practice.
The first step in the playoffs is a test. But tests are also common for Real Madrid: the standard at this club is only the highest peak.
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