Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes opposition sides are now ‘scared’ to play his side due to their recent form.
Los Blancos are up to second in La Liga and have recently recorded victories over Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Real Betis and Espanyol, alongside a Copa del Rey semi-final draw at Barcelona.
“Teams are scared to play us because of our form,” Courtois told a pre-match press conference, as cited by Marca.
“When we had a poor month in October teams were excited because we were in poor form and teams played us with confidence, but now the situation is reversed.
“We are fighting for every competition both at home and in Europe, because when you play for Real Madrid there is no other way.
“Ajax will be a tough opponent, they have recruited well with players like Daley Blind and Dusan Tadic to add to quality like Hakim Ziyech, Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong.
“They know how to play good football and you saw this in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, so we must be very careful.
“We know that we have to give everything in order to progress.”
