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Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has fired a warning to Real Madrid by referring to the two sides' meeting in the UEFA Champions League last season.
The Blues faced Los Blancos in the semi-finals of the competition in the 2020-21 campaign. They played out a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu before Thomas Tuchel's men won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to progress tothe final.
The two teams have been pitted against each other once again this season in the quarter-final stage. Earlier this month, Real Madrid's Toni Kroos told Diario AS that his team could eliminate the holders if they took care of their errors. Kross opined (as quoted by football.london):
"We are recommended to look at ourselves. And if we are good, it is possible, we have seen it. That is why we have to see that we are very good because we have to be to reach the semi-finals. If we correct our mistakes, we will eliminate Chelsea."
Chelsea left-back Alonso has now responded to those claims during his interview with the same outlet. He said (as quoted by football.london):
"We already showed last year what we are capable of. It's a different year, another moment, but we're facing two great teams, and we'll try to give everything to reach the semi-finals."
Alonso opined that both teams have an equal chance of winning, adding:
"I think there are no favourites. At this point, any team is complicated, and it will be a beautiful and difficult tie for sure. Let's leave it there, at 50% chance for each."
The Spaniard lauded his team's performances in the Champions League, saying:
"We were a very balanced team. In these close qualifiers, the little details make the difference. We defended very well; we were an uncomfortable team to play with; we defended all eleven, and the small details made the difference. At this point in the Champions League, everything is very even, and it depends on very small details."
"You can never give Real Madrid up for dead" - Chelsea's Marcos Alonso
Alonso also praised Real Madrid for their comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Round of 16 of this season's UEFA Champions League. Having gone 2-0 down with just 45 minutes left in the tie, a quickfire Karim Benzema hat-trick saw Los Blancos reach the last eight at Les Parisiens' expense.
Speaking about that game, the Chelsea left-back said:
"I knew from before the tie that Madrid was a very dangerous team. As superior as PSG were for much of the tie, you can never give Madrid up for dead. Of course, it's always difficult to face Real Madrid at any time and especially in a competition like the Champions League."
The first leg between the Blues and Carlo Ancelotti's side in this season's League last eight will take place on April 6 at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will then travel to Madrid for the second leg six days later.
