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MADRID - REAL Madrid are in confident mood ahead of their Champions League showdown with Liverpool at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday after nine successive league wins, including an impressive 6-1 thrashing of Real Betis on Saturday.
Liverpool could not have picked a worse time to face the double Spanish champions and Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart said the five-time European champions would be intimidated.
'We're Real Madrid, which is why I think Liverpool are frightened of us,' said van der Vaart. 'The team is working hard to be in perfect shape. We're anxious to do well in Europe, and I will do anything to win the Champions League.' Real closed to within seven points of Barcelona at the summit with a ruthless 6-1 destruction of Betis - with all the goals in the first half - to warn Liverpool of their firepower.
'Liverpool shouldn't fear us. They should respect us, just like we do them. We'll have the crowd on our side on Wednesday and we'll capitalise on that,' explained Portuguese centre-half Pepe.
'We need to be determined. I will be happy if we score half as many goals as we did tonight, but it will be a very different match.' Gonzalo Higuain scored his 14th goal of the season with the opener against Betis and said it was time to forget the league and concentrate on trying to turn over Liverpool.
'It's time to start thinking about the next match. The Champions League is up next and we need to maintain this rhythm,' explained Higuain.
'Wednesday's game is another final. It will be a very difficult match against a great team that does well under such pressure. We will do our best and hope to have the upper hand heading into the return leg of the tie.' Real coach Ramos, who has steadied the ship following Bernd Schuster's sacking, has not given up on the league but admits the Champions League could be an easier target for Real.
'In the Champions League our destiny is in our own hands and if things go smoothly and we don't slip up we can win it,' explained Ramos. 'In the league that is not the case so the Champions League is easier, although there are eight or so teams that could be crowned European champions. The competition is much harder.' Real have won the trophy nine times but their last success came back in 2002 and Dutch international Roysten Drenthe admitted Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres had been singled out as the main threat.
'Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard are their two danger men,' said Drenthe. 'Torres scores lots of goals and Gerrard is very dangerous shooting from long range. However, they have a lot of other players that can hurt us.' While Raul and Higuain hope to build on their goals against Betis, Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who scored twice against Betis, must watch from the stands after being omitted from Real's Champions League squad.
'It is a big blow and it is not going to be easy watching from the stands,' said Huntelaar. Lass Diarra was included instead of Huntelaar with Uefa rules only permitting Real to register one player who had already played this season in Europe with his previous club. -- AFP
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