England midfielder Jude Bellingham has expressed confidence ahead of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal, describing Wednesday night’s clash as “a night made for Real Madrid.”
The reigning European champions face a tough task after a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg. However, Bellingham believes Real Madrid can draw upon their storied European history to stage a remarkable comeback.
Read Also: Champions League: Can Real Madrid stars lead comeback against Arsenal?
Motivated by history and the Madrid spirit
“I’ve heard it a million times since last week; I’ve seen a million videos, it’s really motivating stuff,” Bellingham told reporters at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“It’s a night that’s made for Real Madrid.
A night that would go down in history, but also something that people are familiar with around this part of the world. Hopefully, we can add another special night.”
Real Madrid have only come back from a three-goal first-leg deficit once in their European history — in the 1975/76 European Cup, when they overturned a 4-1 loss to Derby County with a 5-1 home win to progress 6-5 on aggregate.
They have never achieved such a comeback in the modern Champions League era. Yet Bellingham insists the opportunity to make history is fuelling the squad.
“There’s not a lot you can do for Real Madrid in the Champions League that hasn’t already been done,” said the 21-year-old.
“Tomorrow is an opportunity for us to do something for the first time, so that’s really important to us.”
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