Drogba's aerial prowess could stop Real Madrid

 

Didier Drogba’s aerial prowess could see Real Madrid suffer from set-pieces against Galatasaray. expert argued that the debate ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Garganese, James Richardson and Peter Staunton sat down to discuss what the deciding factors could be when the Turkish team visit the reigning Liga champions.

He said: "Real Madrid may be the most in form team in Europe but they do give up chances, especially from set pieces - they’ve conceded a lot of goals from crosses, off corners, and Drogba is one of the best in the world aerially.

"I think Drogba and [Burak] Yilmaz will get chances, but the question is will they take them? Van Persie didn’t take them, and as a result Manchester United went out."

Staunton, on the other hand, believes that Luka Modric could be the player to decide the fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 3.

He explained: "Real Madrid were quite high up the pitch at Old Trafford and were looking for that pass, and Cristiano Ronaldo and [Angel] Di Maria at times lack the creativity and guile to unlock defences.

"It’s more about pace and power with those two, and a player like Luka Modric can find those runs in behind, make those clever little passes and interchanges between Ozil and the strikers.

"They need to rely on that in the last twenty minutes of a match when teams sit back against them, and Modric could be the one to make a difference in this tie."

Who can you see stealing the show on Wednesday night? Will Galatasaray spring a surprise or could Jose Mourinho’s men grab the victory Blancos fan crave?

Bacelona hope to defeat Real Madrid in Champions League

Arjen Robben is brimming with confidence ahead of the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League quarter-final tie against Juventus, and believes the Bundesliga leaders can challenge pre-tournament favourites Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title.

The Bavarians made it to the final of the competition last campaign, and Robben feels they have what it takes to make it to this year's showpiece at Wembley, too, even though he realises Juventus will not be pushovers in the quarter-finals.

"We showed last season that we can be up there with the best in Europe, so we want to be in the final at Wembley. We will challenge the likes of Barca and Real for the title," the Dutchman was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

"If you look at last year's final against Chelsea, again we should never have lost it. But we’ve improved from last year. We are in the quarter-finals and we are top of our league, so you can’t ask for more.

"The tie against Juventus is going to be a tough challenge for sure. They are a team with so many experienced players people like Andrea Pirlo  and we know how hard they will make it for us."

The Netherlands international then went on to discuss his future at Bayern, and dismissed rumours that he could be on the move this summer.

"Sometimes it's ridiculous what gets written. I have another two years on my contract and I am looking forward to seeing it through," he continued.

"Of course I didn’t want to be on the bench. When you’ve recovered from a few injuries like me, then you’ll understand. I love being on the pitch. When I’m out there, I just want to play football."