Butragueno glad to avoid big guns

Emilio Butragueno believes that Real Madrid cannot afford to underestimate the threat posed to their Champions League hopes by APOEL.

However, Butragueno did concede that the Cypriots represent a kind quarter-final draw for Los Blancos.

APOEL have been the surprise package in this year’s tournament, reaching the last eight after a dramatic shootout success over Ligue 1 side Lyon.

Consequently, Butragueno, Real Madrid’s director of institutional relations, is taking nothing for granted ahead of their meeting with the Nicosia-based outfit.

However, the former Spain international admitted that he was happy to have avoided a quarter-final clash with the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich during Friday’s draw in Nyon.

“You never know, football is unpredictable but it’s true that there were very, very strong teams and we wanted to avoid them so who knows,” Butragueno said.

“But of course, APOEL have been the big surprise in this competition and we have to be extremely respectful.”

“They’ve reached the quarter-final so it means they are a very strong team. We have to be very focused on every detail and be alert.”

“But let’s say that on paper there were other teams, in my opinion, that were stronger than APOEL.”

With Madrid and Barcelona having been positioned on opposite sides of the draw, there is now the intriguing possibility that the pair could meet in the final.

Butragueno, though, is reluctant to look that far ahead and is more concerned with a possible meeting with Bayern in the last four.

“What we have to do is be very, very focused on the next game and try to reach the semi-final,” the former Real Madrid forward said.

“The semi-final, according to the draw, will be a very, very difficult tie (against either Bayern or Marseille). Very difficult.”

“And after, that, if we’re so lucky to reach the final we’ll have time to think about it.”

“But I think in football it’s difficult to talk about something in advance because there are a lot of surprises.”

“Being involved in football for many, many years, I know that football is sometimes cruel so you have to be extraordinarily careful.”

Meanwhile, APOEL president Marios Georgiou believes his team have ‘nothing to lose’ in the quarter-final clash.

“It’s fantastic for us. We’ve done something a Cypriot team has never done before and I believe it will be difficult for us to reach the last eight, but it’s fantastic (nevertheless),” Georgiou said.

“It’s a fairytale for us and we’ve enjoyed it 100 percent. We have nothing to lose, only to gain. We are relaxed and free of anxiety, so we are going to enjoy it.”

“Of course, all dreams must come to an end at some point and I think we are almost at the end of the dream.”

“I know that everybody (in the draw) wanted APOEL as an opponent, and that’s an honour for us. But to have the chance to play Real Madrid is a really special experience.”

“For the first leg (in Nicosia), the whole of Cyprus will be watching. Our players want to do APOEL proud.”