Chelsea are through to the Champions League semi-finals and Reece James says the Blues have nothing to fear against Real Madrid.
Reece James says Chelsea will need to be at their best if they are to advance against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Los Blancos avoided defeat against Liverpool in two legs to set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash against the Blues.
Real Madrid have put on an impressive form of late and are unbeaten in any competition since January.
Reece James is anticipating a tough encounter, but strongly believes in Chelsea’s chances of seeing the tie through.
“You can’t go into games with any fear,” he said to the club’s website.
“You can acknowledge a good team but you can’t go in worrying.”
“We’re a very good team as well. We have many strengths, we play to our strengths and I think that’s shown over recent weeks. I just hope we can continue our good form and keep improving as a team.”
James also acknowledges similarities with this season and Chelsea’s triumph in the competition back in 2012 – a new manager in the dugout, Portuguese opponents beaten in the quarter-finals, and now Spanish heavyweights.
The message from the defender is to give their best once again and work hard against another tough opponent.
“The season started off a bit strange,” he added. “If you’d said we would have been here at the start of the season then we probably wouldn’t have believed you but it just shows what’s possible with hard work, everyone getting their heads down and working as a team.”
“When you come to the later stages of competitions, you know you’re going to come up against top-class teams. We need to be ready and at our best right from the start.”