Raúl relishing 'a day for making history'
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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His experience of Anfield is limited to one visit as a fan, yet Raúl González hopes its famed atmosphere "influences us in a good way" as Real Madrid CF strive to overturn Liverpool FC's 1-0 lead and end their last-16 hoodoo.
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Raúl González leads Real Madrid CF into the cauldron of noise at Anfield knowing just what to expect. The striker's experience of Liverpool FC's renowned stadium is limited to a solitary visit as a fan, but he is thrilled at the prospect of playing there for the first time on Tuesday as the visitors attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit and end their recent first knockout round jinx.
Knockout blows
Madrid have exited the UEFA Champions League at this phase in each of the last four campaigns, but the club's – and competition's – all-time leading scorer believes this is the perfect stage to put that right. "It is a massive game but we go into it full of hope and a desire to do well. It's a day for making history. It's a fantastic atmosphere in the ground and I'm looking forward to playing here," said Raúl, 31. "It's a difficult task, because Liverpool have got a slight advantage with the 1-0 result that they take into this second leg. We know we haven't done very well at this stage for the past few seasons, so let's hope we can make amends."
Family backing
The former Spain forward, who has brought several generations of his family over to England to watch him in action at Anfield, continued: "You have got to be optimistic. It's such a special game and you want to have your family around you. We are going to have 3,000 Madrid fans behind us, there will be millions more watching around the world, and we have to approach this match positively. I hope the atmosphere influences us in a good way. I'm fortunate enough to have been at a game at this stadium, but only watching as a supporter. I know what it's like to be here and it's spectacular. I think this ground brings out the best in good players."
Manchester memories
Raúl was asked to compare the present situation to when Los Merengues visited England and beat Manchester United FC 3-2 at Old Trafford in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals – a match where he scored twice. He replied: "They are different stadia and different occasions, but you can't deny it was a great achievement on that night and it would be the same if we could do that here. We are going out to score, to win the game, to enable us to qualify."
