Manager says both he and his players are convinced they will win in the second leg
Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa is adamant his side can still turn their tie around despite a disappointing first-leg quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich.
Madrid hosted Bayern at the Bernabeu but goals from Luis Diaz and Harry Kane on either side of the break gave the visitors the advantage, while Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were consistently denied by an in-form Manuel Neuer, who claimed the man of the match award.
However, a late goal from Mbappe gave Madrid hope of progressing to the semi-finals if they can win in Germany next week.
“It’s a defeat we could perhaps have avoided in the second half with a bit more luck,” said Arbeloa. “We faced a very strong team, and we knew it. We made two mistakes, two turnovers, which we had discussed before the match and during halftime, and we knew we had to avoid them and, above all, be prepared to defend much more defensively if they occurred.
“Against teams like this, if you make these kinds of mistakes, you pay the price. This is what we have to deal with. It’s clear we scored a goal that has given us hope, and the shame is that we didn’t convert some of the chances we had. It won’t be easy, but if any team can win in Munich, it’s Real Madrid.”
Despite trailing, Arbeloa backed his players to respond in the second leg, but warned that they needed better composure in key moments.
“For the second leg, I’m counting on my players,” said Madrid’s head coach. “There were times when we were down 1-2 and [were overtaken by] the desire to equalise.
“We need to keep a cooler head because 1-3 would have been much more difficult, but I also admire my team’s ambition to not want to lose, to know we’re at home and to keep attacking. It’s a shame we couldn’t take advantage of a few more chances. Of course, I’m very confident we’ll go to Germany and win.”
Arbeloa added that belief within the squad remains strong ahead of the return leg.
“I have players with a lot of personality who said from the start that we’re going to win there,” said Arbeloa. “They’re convinced, and so am I. We’ll go all out; we’re Real Madrid, there’s no fear.
“We know the difficulty of the opponent, the context, and the stadium, but we’re going for it.”
