Toby Alderweireld ‘confident’ Tottenham Hotspur can achieve positive result at Champions League holders Real Madrid

Tottenham Hotspur's Toby Alderweireld (centre) applauds the fans after the Premier League match at Wembley Stadium (pic: John Walton/PA Images). PA Wire/PA Images

Belgium calls on Spurs to believe in their own ability ahead of clash at Bernabeu on Tuesday night

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Toby Alderweireld says Tottenham Hotspur must ensure they do not give Real Madrid too much respect on Tuesday and insists the Lilywhites can hurt the 12-time European champions in their own home.

The Belgian suffered three successive losses at the Bernabeu with Ajax between 2010 and 2012, but went on to taste victory as a member of the Atletico Madrid squad that triumphed 1-0 away against Madrid in 2013 en route to winning La Liga.

Real are aiming to win the Champions League for the third time in a row. But as Spurs gear up for their clash in Spain, Alderweireld says it is vital the players do not magnify the challenge in their own minds.

“[At Atletico] there was belief to hurt them, and we have belief as well,” he said. “We have a lot of respect for them of course but respect doesn’t mean take your foot off. Just go for it, win your battles and anything can happen.

“We have to be confident. There’s always a chance to win there, to keep possession and to hurt them as well.

“The Bernabeu is a big stadium but if you play in the Premier League you play against the best teams in the world. At Ajax you play in the Dutch league and it’s a little bit different.

“You see in the Champions League this season [the English teams] have been getting good results. Of course Barcelona and Real Madrid are up there - every year they are in the final of the Champions League – so it’s difficult to compare, but it’s up to us to give them a good match now.

“In the Premier League you are marking the best in the world and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think, is the best in the world. We’re up for it. That’s why you want to play football in the Premier League and Champions League – to play against players like him.

“You have to have respect, but we have to respect our history as well. We have a good team and we can beat them. It’s not arrogance, it’s just confidence in our own game. We know they are a very good side but we have to try to play our game there. Then we have most chance to get a good result.

“We don’t have to be too dramatic about it. If we win we don’t have to think we’re the best in the world. If we lose, you know, it’s just a game. We’ll try to get a good result because our aim is to get into the next round of the Champions League.”

Tottenham are in strong form ahead of their European clash, having won their last five games, including Saturday’s 1-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth at Wembley.

While Spurs looked slow and lethargic in the first half, Christian Eriksen’s 47th-minute winner maintained their momentum.

“After the internationals it’s always a difficult period because the first training session with everybody was actually on Friday,” said Alderweireld.

“It was difficult to play against 11 men behind the ball but I think we defended well, got some chances and the win was deserved.

“They have some quality as well. If you force too many things you get some bad passes and they can counter-attack. It was a thing to put quality in and maybe try to get the tempo a little bit higher [after the first half]. It’s difficult but the second half was better.

“Before the internationals we had a good spirit and we just want to keep on going. We had a good thing with the rest of the teams losing some points. I think it was a good win for us.”

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