Raul Garcia says there is no added motivation necessary when Atletico Madrid meet Real Madrid ahead of the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
The sides drew 0-0 in last week’s first leg at Vicente Calderon and Garcia, who made his first start after injury in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Deportivo La Coruna, has looked ahead to the return in an interview with AS.
“There’s no need for any motivation in these games. The poster of the fixture already does that by itself,” Garcia explained.
“It’s a feeling you want to experience. Every player wants to play in a game like Wednesday’s.
“The important thing is that the team is at the same level. If they win and go through it’s because they’ve done better, as they are now, but if the team is at the same level that’s when there are options.
“They’re playing at home and will call on the support of the fans, but this team has always been there with very clear ideas and will hopefully be so again.
“I don’t see Atletico being under less pressure. We both want to go through – it’s a Champions League quarter-final.
“Eventually I think we’ll realise the value of everything we’re experiencing now as it seems being in the Champions League quarter-final is normal.
“But for us to reach the semi-final again would be immense. We must forget previous games against them. It helps to know that we have done well [at Santiago Bernabeu] but we can’t think of that because that would harm us.
“I don’t worry about the fans [at the Bernabeu]. I try to help my team. If I score there or anywhere I’m satisfied because of what it means for my team.
“We’re not reliving the past. It’s clear we would have liked to win [the Champions League final in May last year] but this is another game, another season and we only think about that.
“The team is at an exceptional level and we’re going there with a positive mind-set.”
