In a favorable position after their defeat in Madrid (2-1), Real Madrid will have to overturn Bayern on Wednesday evening (9 pm) in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Otherwise, they risk facing a season without silverware, as Jude Bellingham acknowledged.
No beating around the bush. “Given our situation, tomorrow’s match is a final, it’s do or die,” warned English midfielder Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid on Tuesday, on the eve of the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich.
Backed into a corner after their defeat (2-1) in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Real Madrid, trailing in La Liga and eliminated from the Copa del Rey, must win at all costs to avoid a trophyless season. “For us, every defeat in the Champions League feels like a disaster. Given our situation, tomorrow’s match is a final, it’s do or die. That’s the mentality we have to play with, we can’t hide,” declared Bellingham at the press conference.
“It’s impossible to win La Liga by dropping so many points. (…) We want to stay in contention and win this Champions League. Playing to win a title at the end of the season, not just watching the games go by,” he continued.
Arbeloa: “We don’t need a miracle because if we had won the first leg, it wouldn’t have been extraordinary”
Asked about his partnership with the other two Madrid stars, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior, he admitted a lack of chemistry but called on to “believe” in them: “I think there have been games where we have combined well together. But it’s true that sometimes it’s complicated because they are players who naturally both prefer to receive the ball on the left side. So it can be difficult when all three of us end up on the same side,” he observed.
“There have been games where our movements have been fluid, with freedom. Sometimes it has caused a bit of disorganization, but it has also led us to win certain matches. We must not only see the negative aspect. We need to have confidence in their qualities,” added the English midfielder.
Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, appearing after him in front of the press, stressed that Real Madrid, the club with 15 European Cups, “never gives up” and demanded that his men show “character”. “We don’t need a miracle. If we had won the first leg, it wouldn’t have been extraordinary. Their goalkeeper (Manuel Neuer) was the best player of the match. This shows that we are capable. Tomorrow, we must show who we really are,” he stated.
