Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has admitted ‘nobody wanted’ to draw Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final.
The Spanish giants are set to come up against the reigning champions on 6th April, with the two sides pulled out of the hat together last week.
It is undeniably the biggest of clash of the last eight, with Real Madrid the most successful side in the history of the tournament and Chelsea the current holders.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side go into the game sitting top of La Liga after a strong campaign and a superb win over Paris Saint Germain in the last round, while Chelsea sit third in the Premier League and overcame Lille in the last 16.
For many, the Blues are the favourites for the tie, having continued to impress in Europe this season under Thomas Tuchel’s guidance.
It seems that is a sentiment shared in the Real Madrid dressing room, with Kroos admitting they would have preferred to avoid the holders.
“They are the current Champions League champions, so it couldn’t be more difficult,” Europa Press report him saying on his podcast with his brother Felix.
“There could hardly be a bigger hurdle, but we have to concentrate on ourselves, and if we play well, it’s possible to do a lot of things.
“We have to try to be very good because that’s what we will have to be to reach the semi-finals.
“Probably nobody wanted PSG in the last 16, and probably nobody wanted Chelsea in the quarter-finals, but that’s the way things are, and we have to accept them.”
