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Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has said that he will set his friendship with RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner aside during the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash.
Los Blancos will aim to register back-to-back wins in their bid to retain their European crown at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (September 14).
Earlier last week, the club opened their 2022-23 Champions League campaign with a confident 3-0 win over Celtic in Group F.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Rudiger asserted that it will be his responsibility to stop his former Chelsea teammate and compatriot Werner from scoring against Los Blancos. He told reporters (via MARCA):
"We've known each other for a long time because we spent time together in the same team. I love seeing him on the pitch. This time we won't be friends. One of the goals will be to defend him."
Rudiger, who arrived at Real Madrid on a free transfer earlier this summer, used to play alongside Werner at Chelsea for two years.
The latter also left London ahead of the ongoing season and secured a permanent transfer to return to RB Leipzig for a fee in the region of £25 million.
The German pair won three trophies together at Chelsea, including the famous 2020-21 UEFA Champions League crown.
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti also chimed in and lauded Werner and Christopher Nkunku ahead of their clash. He added:
"The striker is very dangerous. Not only Werner, Nkunku is also doing well and he did well last year. They are a very dangerous team when you give them the chance to show their qualities. [Our defence will be] just as important tomorrow as the offence."
He continued:
"It's an important game for the classification of the group. It's a team that has had problems at the start of the season, but they did very well in the last game, against Dortmund. They have players with quality, ability [and most of them are] very quick."
RB Leipzig are currently in 10th-place in the 2022-23 Bundesliga standings with eight points from six matches. The club lost their UEFA Champions League opener 4-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk last week.
Real Madrid ready to sell Eden Hazard in January
According to Super Deporte, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has run out of patience with Eden Hazard. He wishes to offload him in January after the conclusion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
RB Leipzig midfielder Christopher Nkunku has already been identified as a big-money replacement by the club's hierarchy in Madrid.
Hazard, 31, joined Real Madrid from Chelsea for a fee in the region of €115 million in the summer of 2019. He has proved to be an underwhelming signing at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Belgian has registered just seven goals and 11 assists in 70 matches across competitions for Los Blancos.
