Bayern no obstacle to Madrid

By Adrian Clarke

Real Madrid CF will show no fear when they go head-to-head with German giants FC Bayern München in the UEFA Champions League according to Brazilian star Roberto Carlos.

Mixed record
The nine-time European champions have a mixed record against the Bundesliga side and after December's draw paired them together in the first phase of this year's knockout stages, Carlos Queiroz's side dropped behind Manchester United FC as favourites to win the competition.

Key experience
But Roberto Carlos believes his side's big-match experience will help them to prevail against Bayern and ultimately guide them to a record tenth European Cup crown this season. "There is so much experience in the current Madrid team and when you get to the final stages of any tournament this can make the difference," the 29-year-old told uefa.com. "Our team is very motivated and the players here have a winning mentality. I believe we are strong enough in all areas to win the Champions League again."

Contrasting form
Madrid have excelled on all fronts this term, topping the table in Spain, but by contrast Bayern have endured a mixed domestic campaign so far and trail league leaders SV Werder Bremen by seven points and recently crashed out of the German Cup to minnows TSV Alemannia Aachen. However, Roberto Carlos is hoping that the unpredictable Germans do not transform their season by producing something special in their upcoming Champions League clash.

Star performers
"Bayern have not performed as well as they can in the German league this season and if their form continues like this we will not have too many problems," he said. "But you cannot underestimate the Bayern team. If players like [Michael] Ballack, [Bixente] Lizarazu or [Oliver] Kahn play to the best of their game then we can expect a very difficult contest.

Perfect draw
"To become the champions of this competition we have to beat the biggest teams, so we might as well play Bayern at this time as any other," he added. "Our past record against Bayern may not be so good but Madrid are playing well at the moment so we're feeling confident we can beat them. There is such a strong desire for everyone here to win the Champions League and for this to happen we will have to beat every team we are drawn against, whoever they are."

No mistakes
Madrid's all-star lineup cruised through the opening group stage of this year's Champions League accumulating 14 out of a possible 18 points in games against UEFA Cup holders FC Porto, FK Partizan and Olympique de Marseille. But 2001 champions Bayern present Madrid with their trickiest test so far, and this season's knockout format means they can't afford to have an off day. Roberto Carlos, however, is in favour of the new format.

Exciting format
"I definitely prefer the knockout stages because there are fewer games and the players are far more motivated for every match," he said. "It makes the competition far more exciting because at this stage every game is very important and you cannot afford to make any slip-ups.

Toughest test
"I think it is fair to say that in the first group phase we played some very good football and this is the reason that we qualified without too many problems," he added. "Maybe Bayern will cause us more problems than some of the other teams we have faced so far in the competition, but if we continue playing in the way we have been doing all season then we do not have to worry about this."