Rodri Hernandez has spoken ahead of the Champions League semi final with Real Madrid. The Spaniard praised Karim Benzema and seemed fully confident in his team’s abaility to make it through to the final.
This Tuesday 26th April, Manchester City host Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium as the the two teams battle it out in the first leg of their Champions League semi final tie. The match is due to kick off at 21:00 CET.
Rodri Hernandez has taken the time to sit down with ‘Sport’ and reveal his thoughts on the upcoming game: “We know perfectly well how they play and their experience in this competition, but they also know how to be resilient and wait for the right moment to then inflict damage on their rivals. It’s in their DNA. Maybe they don’t dominate the 90 minutes but they’re always dangerous. We have to be alert and have the best possible game we can at home in the first leg” .
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City arrive at the semi-finals a little more tired than Carlo Ancelotti’s men as Pep Guardiola’s side has played 180 minutes more than ‘Los Blancos’: “Honestly, I don’t know if this will make an impact. We’ll see on Tuesday, but considering how the team played against Watford on Saturday, I’m not worried and I think we’ll be fine”.
“You see Benzema play and you think: F**k!”
Rodri had some words of praise for Karim Benzema: “He’s having the best period of his career. I’ve played with him a number of times and that’s when you understand he plays like no one else and how he improves the whole team, and obviously the key goals he’s scored this season. You see him play and you think: F**k! He makes his team comfortable on the ball… Carlo Ancelotti, he’s the perfect modern striker. We’re going to be very cautious of him”.
On his role on the pitch against Madrid, Rodri said: “I’m there to calm the game, and most importantly be mentally resilient in difficult periods of the match. From there, display the type of football we’re known for. I believe we’re better, but we have to show that on the pitch”.
Finally, Rodri touched on the busy schedule: “The calendar has been very demanding. We’ve had a series of matches against Liverpool and Atletico which have demanded our full intensity. We need a rest because we’ve had so many matches, but it is what it is. Maybe the FA Cup match against Liverpool was the game when I really noticed my physically fatigue. But now I’m not worried about that”.