Aitor Karanka believes Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday is ideal preparation for next Tuesday's Champions League clash.
An own goal from Juanfran and an Angel Di Maria strike gave Los Blancos all three points against their city rivals.
And the assistant has claimed that it was the best way to prepare for next week's match against Borussia Dortmund.
“It was not a match with many chances for either side,” he told a Press conference.
“They crossed a lot of balls into the box and we knew it was their biggest threat. Apart from a chance for Benzema there weren’t very many chances in the first half. After the tough night the other day, we’ll take away the team’s strong performance today and the good football from players who don’t usually play.
“We knew it would be a very tense match because we were playing for second place and because it was a derby, and as I already said, Atletico haven’t beaten us for a long time.
“The best way to go into Tuesday’s match was by having a good match here. This is how it was, it is what we planned to do, that is what the players knew and that is what they have done, and spectacularly well
“This win is a motivation, especially because of the way that we have done it.
“The team played as a team, have fought together and with humility. We knew it would be an intense contest from the first minute. It was a match in which the whole team has done a spectacular job.”
