Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and his Real Madrid teammates enjoyed training at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday ahead of their Champions League showdown against Chelsea aiming to prove a point.
Courtois says he has had enough of unfair criticism aimed at the club, who are eight points clear in La Liga and reached the Champions League quarter-finals with an epic 3-1 second-leg win against Paris Saint-Germain.
"I feel it always the same, people always doubt and question Real Madrid even after our best moments,” Courtois told a news conference before facing holders Chelsea in the first leg of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday.
“We have full confidence in our team capacity and we are all looking forward to show what we are worth against Chelsea.”
Courtois was Real's only representative to speak with the media as coach Carlo Ancelotti did not make the trip to London as he recovers from a positive Covid-19 diagnosis.
His son and assistant head-coach, Davide Ancelotti, watched an upbeat training session at Stamford Bridge and will be on the sidelines calling the shots.
“We know very well how Ancelotti wants us to train, there is a great coaching staff, he has participated in talks by video call," said Courtois, who was on Chelsea's books for seven years and was their No 1 for three seasons before moving to Real Madrid.
"Sure there is a difference if he is on the bench or not, but last weekend the coaching staff did well, so I don't think it will be a problem in London.”
Pictures of the Real Madrid players training at Stamford Bridge can be seen in the gallery above. To view the next image, swipe or click the arrows.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
