Bellingham confident about Real Madrid’s comeback chances vs Arsenal – ‘We’re ready, excited’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid face a do-or-die situation as they get set to take on Arsenal in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Merengues go into the game at a disadvantage, after being on the receiving end of a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of the Gunners last week at the Emirates Stadium.

As such, they have a mountain to climb if they are to continue in the competition beyond this stage – but miracles in the Champions League are something that Real Madrid are very familiar with.

That is something key midfielder Jude Bellingham touched upon when he addressed the media during the pre-match press conference today.

“At the Bernabeu there is always an incredible atmosphere, the energy is contagious. We can feel it, it brings out the best in us,” said the Englishman about the special European nights at the Bernabeu.

“We shouldn’t ask the Madridistas to do anything they haven’t done. It’s up to us, we also have to feel their energy and give everything to make them proud.”

Shedding light on what has been discussed in the dressing room over the past week, Bellingham stated:

“Remontada. I’ve heard it a million times in the last week. This motivates us a lot. It’s a night that’s tailor-made for Real Madrid. I don’t think we can add anything more special to that.”

On whether he is aware of the special comebacks Real Madrid have pulled off back in the 70s and 80s, Bellingham replied:

“Well, someone told me about Anderlecht once, I’ve seen videos on TikTok… that’s the source I’m drinking from these days.

“I’ve seen the most recent ones and the older ones, we want to add this one. There’s nothing we haven’t done in the Champions League.”

In the last game, there was a moment when Bellingham seemed to get angry at his teammate Vinicius Jr. Giving an insight into the incident and the general discussion between the players, he said:

“It’s football. It’s very normal that on the pitch there are moments of tension, emotions run high. We have a very different relationship. We have to be that sincere and honest with each other. The media gives it more importance than we do.

“Regarding mental toughness, I think you can’t go into a game like this if you’re not 100 per cent. We’re ready, excited and looking forward to it.”

The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder then talked about what Real Madrid need to do to mount a comeback against Arsenal tomorrow.

“We have to show something much better than what we did in the first game. More commitment, more confidence on the ball… there are a lot of things,” admitted Bellingham.

“I don’t think we didn’t give our best, but we know we can do things much better and that’s what we want to show tomorrow.”

Raring to go vs Arsenal. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

One of the major concerns coming after the first leg was the fact that Arsenal had ran 14 kms more than Real Madrid players during the game. Addressing the issue, the midfielder said:

“It’s true that, if you run more, you have more chances. Yes, this influences the game. But last year it was the same: we didn’t run the most and we won the Champions League.

“We have to know what it means to run to one side and to the other. We have to know how to run. Tomorrow we’re going to want to run a lot more and hopefully we’ll have a better plan to do that.”

Talking about Arsenal’s performance in the first leg and whether they surprised Los Blancos, the Englishman remarked:

“‘You have to trust that the players are going to give everything. There have been magical nights at the Bernabeu and we believe we can do things much better. We have to raise the level of attention and we can be there, of course we can.

“We are not fools, but we are confident in the capabilities we have. We weren’t really surprised by Arsenal. The free-kicks were surprising, but they are a very good team and they have a great coach.”

On there being so many expectations to pull off a remontada tomorrow, Bellingham said that it comes with the territory, saying:

“When we go into games like this, everyone expects us to come back. It’s going to be very difficult. The club has done it a lot of times and that’s why it’s so impressive and expectations are so high.”

Regarding the atmosphere in the dressing room heading into the match and what it means for him to be a part of it, he noted:

“It’s an amazing environment. In the first leg it was one of the worst results we could imagine and now everyone is thinking about the comeback.

“It means you are at the best club in the world. There is also a pressure behind all this, we know we have to get the best result possible.”

On whether there is enough belief within the team that they can make it through, Bellingham replied in the affirmative, saying:

“After the game it’s complicated but, as your confidence grows, you start to feel part of it. It’s contagious and makes you feel much more confident about the situation you’re in. I would say it was immediate.

“When we were on the bus we weren’t like we are now, but we already believed in ourselves.”

When asked if Real Madrid have what it takes to pull off the miracle tomorrow, Bellingham was confident in his response as he said:

“Of course. We’ve had some tough games but we’ve still managed to win. I think there are negatives in the games, we are not always going to do everything right. It’s true that when you win by playing well, people don’t talk so much.

“We are capable of doing things very well regardless of the bad moments. We have to believe in our chances. It’s not just about history, it’s also about the day-to-day.”

When put forward that Los Blancos had not won with a two-goal margin for more than two months, he added:

“It’s different. We’ve played games where we haven’t been good, but we’ve found a way to win. Tomorrow we have to score goals and be aware that we have to be at our best. But we are not worried about the last two months.”

Source: AS