Antonio Rüdiger, Real Madrid’s 32-year-old central defender, spoke to FIFA about the Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain this Wednesday in New York (9pm CET, broadcast on DAZN). He is wary of PSG, but has every confidence in his team.
Rüdiger “we are Real Madrid and we are ready”.
“PSG are a very, very difficult team to play against. They’ve proved they’re one of the best teams in Europe so it’s going to be a tough game. But we’re Real Madrid and we’re ready for the challenge.”
Relatively wise and logical words before such a match. Both sides can be confident. It’s even necessary for the players, who must put in the best possible performance. But let’s not forget humility and respect for our opponents, who are also top-class.
It’s going to be a big game, and the outcome is particularly uncertain. Even if the side’s supporters inevitably believe that their team is superior. We hope the Parisians will prove us right. They have the arguments to do so. However, watch out for Real Madrid, who are still in the early stages of their reconstruction under coach Xabi Alonso, but who are already showing some interesting signs.