Toni Kroos says Real Madrid will not think about Champions League glory until their grip on first place in La Liga is made certain.
Los Blancos resume their continental campaign against Schalke in the last 16 on Wednesday, but despite the former Bayern Munich star’s thirst to win another European cup, he urged his teammates to keep the League at the forefront of their minds.
“Schalke are doing well in the Bundesliga and are very solid defensively under new Coach Roberto Di Matteo,” the German midfielder said in an interview with UEFA.
“We have some injuries so it’ll be a tough challenge, but our objective is to progress into the next round.
“We must be wary of our opponents and play two good games if we want to progress into the next round.
“Winning the Champions League with Bayern [Munich] was one of the highlights of my career, and I’ll try to repeat it with Madrid.
“Every game in the Champions League is of the highest international level, against the best players in Europe. Battles like that help you gain experience and evolve.
“We all want [to win back-to-back CLs], but first we must try to remain top of La Liga. Winning the League title must be a priority for us.
“In the Champions League, five or six teams can win it and we’re among them. We’ll try to win it, but it’ll be very difficult because in the knockouts, it depends on how you are that day.”
