Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has hit out at the club’s critics and claimed that suggestions his side have been lucky this season “make us laugh”.
Los Blancos secured their 35th La Liga title on Saturday by defeating Espanyol 4-0, with the celebrations going on well into the evening in the Spanish capital. They are still hopeful of European glory this campaign, too, despite being edged out by Manchester City during a seven-goal first-leg thriller at the Etihad.
There have been suggestions that the Spanish giants' success this season has been achieved despite them not being a vintage team. Carlo Ancelotti’s side came from behind to edge past Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the Champions League to reach the last four of the competition, before riding their luck at times away at City.
Modric responded to suggestions that Real Madrid have been lucky so far this season in his pre-match press conference, saying: “Let them think what they want. This is an unfair opinion and they only make us laugh, but everyone can say what they want.
“We are focused on our work, not what they say outside of the club. It's impossible to beat so many teams, so many champions, to reach so many semi-finals, just by luck. It takes quality and faith, these are the factors that make us great.”
Ahead of the game, there is a sense that despite being firmly second best for most of the opening leg and trailing by a single goal, Real Madrid may hold a psychological edge. Those suggestions have been reinforced by the confidence of Modric, who insists that his side are ready for the second fixture despite their weekend celebrations.
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The Croatian midfielder added: “We are very confident because we know that in the first leg we didn't play our best game and, even so, we scored three goals. Tomorrow we will do better. We have quality and character as well as history. This club has won many big games and is the one that has won the most Champions League titles. We never surrender.”
Modric continued: “We know what we have to do, this is the most important game of the season. We have to play the best game this year, we are ready.”
Real Madrid are aiming for their fifth Champions League title since the 2013/14 season and are hoping to go a stage further than they did last season, when they were defeated by Chelsea in the semi-finals.
