Jude Bellingham says Real Madrid are “playing for their season” in tomorrow night’s Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich.
Bayern’s 2-1 victory in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu last week has put Madrid on the back foot and facing the possibility of their first trophyless season in five years and just their second in 16.
Friday’s 1-1 draw at home to Girona and Barcelona’s 4-1 defeat of Espanyol 24 hours later has left Madrid nine points behind their arch rivals from Catalonia while they were bundled out of the Copa del Rey by second division side Albacete.
The Champions League remains their only hope with Bellingham admitting: “We are aware of our situation and we are prepared mentally. Tomorrow is a final for us, in the end we are playing for the season. And we will try to give our best version.”
Champions League defeats are always a disaster for Real Madrid – Bellingham
Madrid have a special relationship with the Champions League having been crowned the best team in Europe on a record 15 occasions.
Defeat in this competition is tough to bear at the best of times but a last-eight exit to Bayern would be a hammer blow.
Bellingham added: “Any defeat in the Champions League is a disaster. Given the situation we are in, it is a final. We must play well. It’s all or nothing, that’s our mentality. We’re not going to hide. We want to believe, we have no more opportunities. We have to play to win.”
Bellingham has been a bit-part figure for Madrid this season due to shoulder surgery and a hamstring problem but says he is now fully fit and ready to give his all for the team.
“I feel good,” he said. “This season has been frustrating; I’ve had bad luck, missing games due to injuries. At the beginning and in these last two months.
“The hardest part is coming back, mentally, preparing for those matches. The more you play, the better. I played against Mallorca, against Atlético, against Bayern… Your confidence grows and you keep improving.”
I can play alongside Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, says Real Madrid star Bellingham
Bellingham admitted his on-field relationship with fellow attacking stars Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe has failed to gel this season.
Asked to explain why, he said: “It’s difficult to answer. There have been matches where we’ve played very well. You have to look at each player individually. Perhaps we crowd together too much on the left; if I go to the other wing, we might have more balance.
“Maybe people are seeing the glass half empty. We play with freedom, and I hope that will be evident tomorrow, and that we can play fluidly.”
