Former Real Madrid captain Raul highlighted the importance of Luka Modric ahead of tonight's UEFA Champions League clash with the same city's Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish capital derby will take place at the Vicente Calderon stadium and it will be the first match of the strongest European tournament quarter-finals. This season, Atletico won four out of the last six matches against Real, with two ending in a draw.
"I think that superstars like Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Arda Turan, and Koke will definitely stand out, but the key to victory for Real could be Luka Modric," Raul told L'Equipe.
"We all saw the gap that was created when he was injured. He leads the orchestra and if Atletico does not leave any free spaces, which is very likely, a player like Modric, considering his qualities, will be very useful. He notices gaps before anyone else and reads the game exceptionally well."
"Antoine Griezmann should also perform well for Atletico. He has been playing fairly well since the beginning of the year, so Real's defense will need to watch out for him."
The former striker of the "royal club" also added that the road to the semifinals is completely unclear. Raul says that the chances for both teams are almost 50%-50%.
