Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos is wary of the threat posed by Roberto Di Matteo’s Schalke as the two teams prepare to clash in their Champions League tie on Wednesday.
Los Blancos are going into the tie with their form in question after their 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on 7th February which was followed by an uninspiring 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna which led to certain sections of the Santiago Bernabeu booing their own team.
Schalke, on the other hand, have enjoyed a resurgence after the appointment of former Chelsea manager Di Matteo. The Italian has guided the Gelsenkirchen-based outfit from 11th in the Bundesliga when he took the reins of the club in October last year to fourth in the table.
Kroos, who arrived at Real Madrid from Bayern Munich where he suffered defeat in the final of the 2011/12 Champions League final at the hands of Di Matteo’s Chelsea, is wary of the defensive solidity that is the hallmark of the Italian manager's teams.
“They’re experiencing success in the Bundesliga and with their new coach they are very solid defensively”, Kroos said in an interview with UEFA.
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However, the German admitted that the reigning European champions have enough firepower in their ranks to get the better of Schalke.
“We have players so it will be a tough challenge, but our goal is to progress to the next round.”
Real Madrid put Schalke to the sword last season at the same stage of the competition as the Spaniards registered a crushing 9-2 aggregate defeat of the Germans. But sounding a note of caution, Kroos insists that Carlo Ancelotti’s side will have to play well over the two legs in order to progress to the quarter-finals.
“We need to have two good performances. We should respect our opponent and play two good games.”
Real Madrid will play the first leg of their tie at the Veltins-Arena on Wednesday.
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