BARCELONA, 25 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling acknowledged that the English team has to “mentally prepare” for the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid, although he “should not worry” about the comebacks of the Madridistas in the continental competition because they “belong to the past”.
“We have to prepare well, make sure we are mentally ready for the challenge. We cannot focus on their previous games, only on us. Comebacks are part of games played, not games yet to be played. Therefore, they belong to the past and we shouldn’t worry about it,” Sterling said at a news conference on Monday.
For the English footballer, the ‘Champions’ is a “special” competition that every young player wants to play. “Every season we fight for the big trophies and the Champions League is the one we haven’t been able to win. Every time I play I give my best, the music and the atmosphere are always special,” he said of the continental competition.
“They have scored some vital goals in the last few minutes, but we have players who can play in high-pressure games. We will be fine”, he mentioned about the team’s performance, which will have to manage the “maximum pressure”, something that does not worry the youngster attacker.
“The last few games I’ve scored goals in the final stretch. I’ve played at maximum pressure and I know how to manage this. I’m a striker and therefore I like to play, score and assist my teammates. This is very important to me, because this It’s what gives us confidence”, added Sterling, who showed his joy at helping “as much as possible” to the team.
Asked about the French striker Karim Benzema, the Englishman stressed that he is a “very first line player who has been playing at a very high level for a long time”, a “complete” striker who will be Madrid’s main asset in attack along with the Brazilian Vinícius .