Firstly, Schuster talks about the difficulty surrounding tomorrow’s game against the Whites: “We know how tough playing against Real Madrid can be. They’re playing brilliantly at the moment and are extremely strong. We need to make sure we maintain stability in every line, as they’ll be pushing us back as often as possible, so we need to be ready. It’s crucial that Willy has a good match and we’ll try our best to impose our style of play. We’ll have to see how it starts, but I think it’ll be a great game.”
Following Monday’s victory in Pamplona, the Málaga coach is optimistic ahead of the clash with Carlo Ancelotti’s side: “It’s a shame that we’re up against Madrid now, but it has to be done. The best thing is we’ve got nothing to lose, so we can be as brave as we like. I’m not a pessimistic person at all. If they let us, then we’ll try and focus more upfront, but we’ll need to have our wits about us the entire time. We’ll be looking for as many possibilities as we can against Madrid, not just in defence, but hopefully to throw a few surprises their way too.”
Motivation is high throughout Schuster’s team: “Real Madrid are a superior rival, but our boys are bursting with motivation, which can only be a good thing. The new players are really enthusiastic, as everyone likes to play against the big teams. We’re working on improving our tactics so the new boys can adapt to the team more. They’ve improved a great deal.” Schuster is confident the Blue and Whites’ fans will play a key role tomorrow night: “I hope the stadium gets behind Málaga as they’re really going to need a lot of support. It’s vital that the players know the fans are behind them. It’s not about me.”
Finally, the German-born coach talks about the fitness of some of the players: “Flávio will be playing, Sergio Sánchez will return as central defender and Angeleri on the wing. With regards to Weligton, we’ve been waiting three or four weeks for him to return now. He’s improved a lot, so we’re hoping he’ll be back in the group very soon. It’s such a shame as he suffered two injuries that left him out of action, but I think he’ll be back with us next week. Eliseu has recovered and is better now, but he still needs a few more days.”
