Thibaut Courtois said that Real Madrid “aren’t afraid” as they face either Manchester City or Celtic in the Champions League playoff draw.
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Real Madrid “are not afraid of anyone”
Madrid ended the elimination round with a 3-0 victory over Brest, with Rodrygo scoring twice.
They will face either Manchester City or Celtic in the playoff round next month.
Regardless of who Madrid faces, Courtois said the squad is ready to take on anyone in the playoff stage.
“I’ve said it before, we didn’t miss out on the top eight today, but in other games,” Courtois told Movistar.
“We’ll have to play the playoff, and see who we play against. It’s our job to be ready, and wait. But we’re not afraid of anyone.”
The LaLiga giants have faced City in the Champions League in each of the last three seasons, eliminating the Premier League side on their way to winning the trophy in both 2022 and 2024.
“It is what it is,” Courtois said.
“We played them in knockout games last year, two years ago, and three years ago. If we have to play City, if you want to win the Champions League, you have to beat the best.
“City are more likely to win”
Both City and Madrid had a difficult run during the Champions League phase.
Los Blancos absorbed defeats to Lille, AC Milan, and Liverpool, while City also dropped their games to Sporting CP, Feyenoord, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted that his side hates to play against City, but they are all set for the potential matchup anyway.
“City are more likely to win the Champions League, that’s the reality,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said in his postmatch news conference.
“We don’t like playing against City, but if we have to play City, we’ll do it, as we have in previous years.”
