Alberto Toril insists that his Real Madrid side have the _“winning mentality”_ as they seek to defend their 2-0 lead over Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday.
In what has been arguable the strongest week in the club’s history, _las Blancas_ triumphed over the _Gunners_ at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano last week before claiming a first-ever victory over Barcelona on the weekend.
Now though, Toril’s side must preserve their advantage in front of a sizeable crowd at the Emirates Stadium, which the 51-year-old accepts will be _“complicated”._
_“They’re going to push us pretty hard with the crowd,”_ he told reporters in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.
_“We’re ready to play a good game and know how to manage the moments in the game. We’ve got to keep our focus, concentrate and have the encouragement to pull it off and progress.”_
_“We’re very focused on taking this forwards. We’ve got the historic possibility to reach a stage that we’ve ever reached before – it’s a great experience to be one of the four best teams in Europe. It’s a game that’ll be played at the highest level with a great atmosphere; we’re used to playing in front of a lot of fans and it’ll be a great game to play.”_
The former midfielder, who made two appearances for Real Madrid during his playing career, explained that his players _“are aware that it is a historic moment and that we have the possibility to reach the semi-finals. They’re ready to compete at every level, and we know that we have to give 100%, and understand the game well. It’ll be complicated but we’re in the spotlight now and above all, we believe in ourselves and have the winning mentality.”_
Kick-off at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, 26 March is scheduled for 20:00 GMT \[21:00 CET\].