Didier Deschamps believes his side are capable of pulling off a major upset against Real Madrid at the Stade Louis II this evening.
The French league leaders need to win by two clear goals if they are to overturn a 4-2 first-leg deficit, but Deschamps was in ann upbeat mood on the eve of the game.
“If I thought that I’d be better off staying at home tomorrow night,” he said.
“Madrid are an outstanding team, but we have talent too,” the Monaco coach added.
“We also have a team spirit that makes us very hard to beat and if we give absolutely everything I believe we can do it.”
However, matters have not been helped by the absence of three important players: Sebastien Squillaci is injured, while regular central midfield pairing Akis Zikos and Lucas Bernardi are out due to injury and suspension respectively.
“It’s a big blow to lose Zikos and Bernardi because they have experience of playing in big international matches,” Deschamps admitted.
“I wouldn’t say that it puts us in a delicate situation, however. We have other good players and, against Madrid, it’s not only about individuals. It’s about finding the right balance between attack and defence.”
Meanwhilee, Madrid coach, Carlos Queiroz,confirmedthat his team would not sit on their lead.
“We are 4-2 up but we will not simply try to defend our lead,” said the Portuguese coach.
“We’ll play offensively because that is what Real Madrid do best. It would be foolish to change now.”
The Spanish champions are without David Beckham, who is suspended, but Roberto Carlos returns after missing the first leg.
“I’m not sure if that is good news for us or not,” Deschamps admitted.
“Losing Beckham is a blow for them because he contributes so much in midfield, both defensively and offensively, but Roberto Carlos is also a major weapon.”
