Malmo Coach Age Hareide described a potential point against Real Madrid as ‘heroic’ as his side ‘might win one game in 10’ against Los Blancos.
Madrid are in Sweden for Wednesday’s Champions League fixture and Hareide was asked at his pre-match Press conference about possible tactics for the meeting.
“We’ll see if we play four or five defenders. The important thing is not to concede early, as we did against Paris Saint-Germain,” he replied, AS reports.
“We want the defence and the team to be compact. A point against Madrid would be heroic.
“Last year we played against Atletico Madrid and despite it being our best game with me as Coach, in the end we lost. We’re still learning.
“A few years ago [Madrid] played against Rosenborg in terrible cold. Now it’s different, at a much better time, and that doesn’t help us. And they have more stars now. They’re maybe the best team in the world.
“If we play as we did against Celtic and Salzburg, and we score early, that’s our chance to get something.
“It’s hard to say how many we’d win out of 100 against Madrid. Maybe 10. There are always possibilities.
“They think coming here the points are safe. I hope that’s what they believe and they don’t put their foot down. And with this support, which is right on top of the opponent, we can take advantage.
“That support is a gift, it gives energy to my team and levels the playing field a little.
“Madrid’s injuries don’t mean much. They even rested some players against Malaga. They had bad luck, a lot of shots and were against a great goalkeeper. Their reserves are great.
“They even have Martin Odegaard, who we know well. He’s struggling to play but he has a lot of players ahead of him.
“Rafa Benitez won’t take it lightly. He’s a very nice gentleman. They’ll try to attack and our mission is to find gaps in defence. And not to be naïve at the back.
“What stands out about Cristiano Ronaldo is his physique. It’s exceptional. He’s tough and quick, his acceleration from zero to 60 is amazing. It’s hard to defend against that. He almost always leaves behind the opponent.
“He’s the most complete player in the world. He’s at the very top, but even the best have a bad day.
“We have to isolate him, play so he isn’t happy. It’s still difficult.”
