SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Real Madrid and Olympiacos train ahead of Champions League clash

Triumphant Real Madrid and Olympiacos trained in the Spanish capital on Tuesday (October 23) ahead of the Wednesday's (October 24) Champions clash at the Bernabeu. Both teams will unquestionably try hard to keep their unbeaten records. Enthusiasm runs high among the Greek club's players after beating Bremen 3-1 on their first away clash earlier in October. Real Madrid, on the other hand, is not on such good spirits after La Liga weekend defeat against Espanyol, a crush that ended a nine-game victorious streak. Although Real has been shaken, Olympiacos forward Luciano Galletti said too much confidence could be negative. "We must be very focued, that's the key to these type of games, that and try hard not to make mistakes. Real, considering the quality of its players, can steal the game away at any point. So we have to play serious too, just like we've been doing successfully both in the Champions and in the League games. With that mindset I think we can pull off a good game," the Argentinean told a news conference at the Bernabeu Stadium. Coach Panagiotis Lemonis agreed with Galletti. He said the team could suffer from over-confidence. "That's a really good question, that's indeed what I've been telling the players: our weakest point is that we tend to cross the line between enthusiasm to pessimism rather quickly. It's a problem of balance, what I fear the most is to go from passion to glumness," Lemonis said. The Greek coach believes that a consolidated team gives them a real advantage over their next Champions rival. "Yes, things have indeed evolved a lot. It was really fortunate to win our first away game. I think that the fact that we have a solid team, that we know where our players come from has a lot to do with it. The pressure of getting along is long over and that's the spirit that reigns the dressing room," he explained. In contrast Schuster's Real have yet to find the magic formula. "The thing is that we signed many new players during the summer, players coming from different clubs and that therefore need to get to know each other. We must also find the exact system for the team, and that's not easily done. Finding that balance can't be achieved overnight," Schuster told reporters after training with Real outside Madrid. Real Madrid will be without centre back Fabio Cannavaro and midfielder Mahamadou Diarra for Wednesday's Champions League Group C match against Olympiacos at the Bernabeu. The two players were left out of the squad after failing to recover from minor knee injuries that have prevented them from training with the rest of the team. Sergio Ramos is expected to move into central defence alongside Christoph Metzelder, with Michel Salgado coming in at right back. Argentine international Fernando Gago is likely to take Diarra's place in the centre of midfield. Real will also be without injured trio Arjen Robben, Gabriel Heinze and Pepe, all missing through muscle tears. The Spanish giants and Olympiacos are joint top of Group C with four points from two matches.

ITN Source | October 25, 2007

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