Courtois Reveals Whether Real Madrid Chooses Matches or Not: 'We Already Have Enough'

Real Madrid and Arsenal will face each other this coming Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium, in the first clash corresponding to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti's players arrive with the goal of regaining their form after falling 2-1 to Valencia at the Santiago Bernabéu. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta's team also wants to rediscover their best version after a draw in the Premier League.

In addition to Carlo Ancelotti, Thibaut Courtois appeared before the media in the press room. The Belgian goalkeeper, who has been absent in recent matches, has managed to recover in time to be between the posts.

Courtois Resolves Doubts About His Physical Condition

Problems with his injury: "I'm fine, I had a day-to-day problem... I've been training and I'm fine. The team is the same, we have to keep going and change the mindset after a defeat."

Arsenal on set pieces: "We worked on it yesterday, we know how we have to try to defend them. (...) Sometimes the opponent does well too, we're ready to defend it well tomorrow and hopefully what we've prepared works out."

Asked again about his physical condition: "I'm fine. I had two injuries at the beginning of the season, then I was fine and this was a minor thing. To avoid risking important matches, we preferred to wait."

Another question about set pieces: "In the end, it's also about how you defend it, here it's zonal and with blocks. As a goalkeeper, you try to anticipate if it's going to the near post or the far post, if there are blocks, you have to know these things. For a goalkeeper, it's important to analyze it and we'll try to be strong tomorrow because when the match is blocked, set pieces can help you."

Will they push in the final minutes to win?: "In every match, we try to solve it in the first minutes, but the match lasts 90 minutes. Maybe sometimes we're better at the end or fresh players come in who can make a difference. It's always difficult, but it's not something we do on purpose."

Kevin De Bruyne's farewell from Manchester City: "He's one of the best players in Belgium's history and also in the Premier League. We've shared many moments, but I thought he was going to another team so it didn't surprise me."

Real Madrid's plan at the Emirates: "I didn't know they've gone two years without losing here. We know they're strong at home, Liverpool was when we won there 5-2. It's the first time we're playing here, we know they're strong, they've beaten City here."

Does Real Madrid Choose Matches to Compete?

Maximum respect for Arsenal: "We have a lot of respect for Arsenal, I have many friends who are Arsenal fans and I know they're doing very well. They're strong on set pieces, so it's very difficult to play against them. I hope we can hurt them, it's going to be a great match."

Will he be a starter tomorrow?: "I'm 100%, you have to ask the coach if I'm going to play but I feel ready. I've been training in the gym and the last few days on the field."

The criticism in recent days: "In the end, it's all about the results, we deserved to win against Valencia, but we missed the penalty. From the inside, we feel we're doing well even if the results don't accompany us. We want to go all the way, we know what we have to do and the important thing is the results."

Does the team transform in the Champions League?: "No, I don't think there's a big change. We take every match at 100%, in LaLiga we don't go out for a walk, every match is important. In the Champions League, the adrenaline is higher and maybe we face the match at 110%."

Does criticism bother Real Madrid?: "No, in the end, we already have enough with analyzing our matches internally. We care about the internal criticism, the adrenaline may be higher in the Champions League, but this badge demands 100% from us in every match. The players don't choose matches."