Mijatovic: I Would Love Real Madrid To Face Panathinaikos
Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic has revealed his preferred opponent for the last 16 of the Champions League, and there was little surprise in his answer.
Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic has revealed his preferred opponent for the last 16 of the Champions League, and there was little surprise in his answer.
While many coaches and players have declined to speculate which rival they will face or who they prefer to meet in the knockout round of the Champions League, Real Madrid’s sporting director, Predrag Mijatovic, has unabashedly revealed that he would love to see his side paired up with Panathinaikos.
The Greek outfit surprisingly pipped Serie A mammoths Inter Milan to top spot in Group B and, along with Roma, Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and FC Porto, they are the possible rivals Los Blancos can be drawn against in the last 16.
“If I could choose, and without meaning any disrespect to our opponents, I would love to see us play Panathinaikos,” Mijatovic told Canal Plus following his side’s emphatic 3-0 win over Zenit St. Petersburg.
“But in the Champions League, sooner or later the really difficult games will arrive, so it is important to be prepared for any battle."
“All the rivals are difficult and everyone has the desire to do well.”
The Montenegrin then spoke briefly about the effects that new coach Juande Ramos has already brought to the team.
He said: “Mentally, we have already gained something extra, but there’s still a lot of work ahead of us, especially for the new coach and the players."
“In spite of our bad streak at the moment, anything can happen from now until the end of the season in May, which is why we must all get behind Juande and the entire squad because this group has a lot of confidence in themselves.”
Finally, Mijatovic denied rumours that team captain Raul had played a key role in the appointment of Ramos as the new trainer.
He added: “The decision was made by me along with the president of the club."
“Of course, Raul can still have contacts with other people in the football world and it is possible he was seen with Juande, but it was a decision that I took myself."