Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 6y

Toni Kroos: Real Madrid have 'special powers' in Champions League

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos says the Champions League "unleashes special powers" in his side, as the winners of the last two seasons prepare for Wednesday's semifinal first leg against his former club Bayern Munich.

The Germany international won his first Champions League trophy while at Bayern in 2012-13, and lifted it again in each of the last two seasons with Real Madrid.

Having last year become the first side ever to retain the competition in its current expanded format, the challenge for Real Madrid is now to win three in a row -- a feat last achieved by Bayern in the mid-1970s.

"This competition is the hardest to win," Kroos told UEFA.com. "Maybe that unleashes special powers in us. Emotions always play a part, especially on Champions League nights at the Bernabeu.

"You can see that in our performances. A lot of the players have played in plenty of big games and we can stay calm in difficult situations because we know we can beat everybody.

"Even when we are not winning, we can change a game. We've experienced lots of situations, so we don't get anxious. Retaining the trophy [in 2017] was special because no team had ever managed to win it twice in a row, and it will be difficult for any team to repeat that. I don't think anyone expected that before the start of the season."

Kroos' played under Heynckes at Bayern for two seasons -- and the midfielder said he admired how the veteran coach had taken the reins at the club after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in October.

"Of course it's special when you play against a team you represented for six or seven years," he said. "I'll see a lot of players I used to play with, or who I still play with in the national team I played under Jupp Heynckes myself for a long time and I know he's a top coach.

"When he came back, he changed the feeling of the whole team. Since he arrived, they've played much better so I think they're harder to beat than last year, but we'll see. I was there last season in the quarterfinals, when we managed to get through, and now we'll see what happens this year."

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