Vinicius Junior says he took note of Celtic ’s Old Firm blitz.
But the Bernabeu superstar is adamant it doesn't change a thing in Real Madrid's approach to facing Ange Postecoglou ’s team in tonight’s Champions League cracker. Vinicius Junior, who scored the winner in the Final to sink Liverpool in May, is aware that Celtic tuned-up for the tie with a ravaging of Rangers.
The 22-year-old also knows that the passionate Parkhead crowd are thirsting for another memorable home win to back up their derby destruction. Postecoglou’s boys will go for it as they did against the Light Blues, but Vinicius Junior reckons it is Celtic who’ll need to adapt to his side's strengths this time around. He said: “Celtic is a great team and I am look forward to playing here. I’ve heard good things and that there is a lot of pressure playing in this stadium. It’s a great atmosphere and I obviously saw that these guys won 4-0 in a big derby, so it is going to be a tough challenge for us.
“Celtic are very strong, they run very hard. To be honest, I’ve not seen many of their games and I should probably watch some more before the game.
“But we are going to turn up and play our own normal game and it’s the other team that has to adapt to us, we are not going to change for anyone.
“I absolutely love playing in a packed stadium with a lot of pressure on me. That’s what we like doing at Real Madrid. So hopefully, we can perform and come away with a victory.”
Vinicius Junior has developed into one of the game's superstars with his winner against the Reds clinching a 14th title for Real. The attacker, who this week attained Spanish citizenship, wants more as he aims to become a club legend.
He said: “I was happy to score the winning goal in the Final. I’m looking forward to a new season and, hopefully, we can win this again. We are doing our best. I feel as though I’m in a good place at the moment. I like to keep my head cool and my foot on the ground. I am in good form, so I just have to keep going and see where it takes me.
“Obviously, I want to score more and get more assists, but the most important thing for me is to do well for the team and carry on winning. I want to do my best for this team that has given me all. That’s the most important.
“I try to improve as a player and, hopefully at this club, I am going to go down as a legend. I can stay for a long time and go down in the history books like Karim Benzema, Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. I just need to keep scoring goals and doing well.
“I need to improve in everything. I still have a lot of work to do and want to keep evolving every day. I watch Karim every day and you never stop learning. It’s important to do that, especially at the biggest club in the world.”
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