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Madrid are not the real thing – Ferguson
SIR ALEX FERGUSON believes Real Madrid have “no chance” of winning this season’s Champions League.
The Manchester United manager believes only Barcelona and the three other English teams involved in the competition are the biggest threats to his side’s hopes of retaining the trophy.
Liverpool travel to Madrid this morning for tomorrow night’s first leg of the first knockout round tie against the Spanish giants at the Bernabeu.
And Ferguson reckons the Anfield outfit are certain to progress to the quarter-finals.
When asked whether Madrid were among the favourites for the Champions League, Ferguson said: “No chance.
“Their game lacks pace. They have great players like (Gabriel) Heinze, (Fabio) Cannavaro, (Fernando) Gago, but they aren’t quick.
“There is (Arjen) Robben, the only one who can give them some rhythm, but he isn’t very brave.
“The three English teams – Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal – or Barcelona (are the favourites, along with United).
“The level of the Premier League is so elevated that it prepares you for games at the highest level.
“And Barcelona can count on a fantastic player – (Lionel) Messi.”
There is no love lost between United and Madrid, especially since their high-profile bust-up regarding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, Liverpool supporters are likely to frown upon Ferguson’s comments as yet another attempt to rile an opposing team into producing a greater level of performance against United’s bitter rivals.
Meanwhile, Fabio Cannavaro has called on Real Madrid to “play smart” against Liverpool tomorrow.
The Spanish giants go into the game on the back of a 6-1 thrashing of Real Betis – their ninth successive Primera Liga win under new coach Juande Ramos.
And Italian defender Cannavaro said: “We’re in good form. The team is doing well and it has the fans’ support. We’re up against a historic team that is used to winning the Champions League. We must play smart, score and not concede any goals.”
Cannavaro is likely to come up against Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, a player he admires.
“He’s a player I like very much,” he said. “He’s gained a lot of confidence playing outside of Spain. He also won the European Championship last summer with Spain.
“He’s one of Europe’s best strikers.”
Cannavaro also had words of praise for Ramos, who has revitalised a Madrid squad underachieving under previous boss Bernd Schuster.
“The coach is doing a good job, we’ve gone back to being a team,” he said.
“We made many mistakes during the first half of the season because we thought we could win just by wearing this shirt.
“We need to play as a team. That’s what Juande has done.”
tok alek nehhh.. abis sume tim die belasah   |
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Post time 22-2-2009 04:59 PM
..tp syg dia tak main kat ucl
apsal real tak lepas saviola ni masa jan, kan ke pompey nak, bukannya pakai pun saviola ni 
