Auxerre wary of Real despite absent stars

Real Madrid will be without their coach and two of their stars, but Auxerre know the Spaniards still loom as a tough prospect.

The La Liga giants must do without manager Jose Mourinho on the touchline, who is suspended for his part in allegedly instructing Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos to deliberately pick up red cards in Real’s Champions League Group G clash with Ajax on November 23.

Both players miss the game with Auxerre on Wednesday night but have had their record cleared ahead of the crucial knockout stages.

Auxerre coach Jean Fernandez labelled Mourinho’s one-game suspension ‘a little bit exaggerated’ and said the precedent set by the punishment must now be enforced for all managers.

Real have already clinched their spot in the next stage, but despite that fact – and the missing personnel for the Madrid club – Fernandez knows his side still have a tough ask on its hands.

“Real Madrid is a big team, a big club, it is a team which will play for the title (La Liga) with Barcelona, it is a team which will play to win the Champions League and they have the means,” Fernandez told Reuters.

“Today in Europe I think the favourites for the Champions League are Barcelona and Real Madrid. I don’t see the English being stronger, nor the Italians being strong than Barcelona or Real Madrid.”

“I think Real Madrid is a big team a big club, they will play the league and the Champions League and the 5-0 game against Barcelona won’t make me change my mind. So tomorrow we will play against a team which has the means to win the Champions League.”

Auxerre’s hopes of finishing third and clinching a spot in the Europa League are still alive, but they must hope for a positive result at the Bernabeu and a loss to Ajax when the Dutch club takes on AC Milan in the group’s other fixture.

“We are a good team but tomorrow the essential is to play defensively and not make any mistakes because they just need us to make a little mistake to score,” midfielder Benoit Pedretti said.

“And after, when we get the ball to play simply and get it forward, so that is the philosophy for tomorrow’s match.”

Motivation does not seem a problem for Real, despite little riding on the result bar pride for the Spaniards.

“It’s (a) Champions League match and that’s why we have to play our best, even more wearing this jersey and this budge,” assistant manager Aitor Karanka said.

“I’m sure that the audience coming to the match is going to have a good time.”