"Madrid will not have 5 minutes of peace" Leipzig's recent recruit, Eljif Elmas Excited for Champions League Clash with Real Madrid

Leipzig's recent recruit, Eljif Elmas, is brimming with excitement and confidence as his team prepares to face Real Madrid in the Champions League. Speaking to Marca, the 24-year-old midfielder shared his thoughts on the upcoming match. Below are the most relevant quotes from the interview:

On Leipzig's state before the game:

“We’ve gone through a difficult time, but we are getting better and better. We have confidence to face one of the best teams in the world. It will be difficult, no one needs to tell us that.”

Learning from previous encounters (from Napoli) with Real Madrid:

“When you play against Madrid you learn many things. All their players are intelligent, experts at their jobs. How can you not learn from Modric or Kroos! Any footballer who plays for Madrid has incredible confidence. It is another level in the world of football. Given this, you always have to give something more than them, and that is not easy. But let’s see what happens. They always attack, with very complete people in any part of the field.”

Differences in approach compared to Napoli:

“They are different scenarios. Napoli is a team that wants to have the ball. Their pressure is different from ours. Here, Madrid will not have five minutes of peace. It’s pressing and more pressing. The coach has only told us that we can’t leave anything out. His level of confidence impresses me.”

Can Leipzig upset the favorites?

“Who is Madrid not a favourite against? They’re always favourites. But in today’s football things happen that are not thought of. The favourite doesn’t always win. That’s why we believe it can be done. We are a team that always goes out to win. You have to follow the coach’s guideline: go 100% all the time.”

Favorite Real Madrid players:
“They are all amazing, but I am from the Balkans. It’s a choice with the heart: Luka Modric. His story is incredible with Madrid and Croatia. He is Ballon d’Or. I’m not saying that the others are not as good as him, but my favourite is Luka. He also praised other Madrid players like Bellingham, Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Arda Güler.

Talking about Arda Güler He said, "let’s not forget him. I didn’t get to play Fenerbhaçe, but I watch a lot of his games because I grew up there and I’m very fond of him. I always support him. He is very young, but he already has experience. I’m sure that in the coming years he will be one of the best in Madrid and in the world.”

In summary, Elmas is eagerly anticipating the challenge of facing Real Madrid and believes in Leipzig's potential to make an impact in the Champions League.