Sergio Ramos aims to stop Van Persie

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has insisted that the Spanish giants must be aware of Manchester United's in-form striker Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman is likely to start against Los Blancos in the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.



"Van Persie is on very, very good form," The Guardian quotes Ramos as saying. "We hadn't seen him this good for years. He's quick, strikes the ball well, he's a constant nuisance.



"[Wayne] Rooney's different. He's hard-work, heavy going. He enjoys the physical challenge. I prefer that, to be honest. I like that defender versus striker battle, that challenge."



Meanwhile, former United defender Gary Neville believes that the Red Devils will have to double up on Cristiano Ronaldo in order to stop him from controlling the game.

Benzema: I’d rather face Ramos than Puyol

Real Madrid and French international striker, Karim Benzema spoke to the media prior to Tuesday evening`s 2014 World Cup qualifier against Spain at the Vicente Calderon.



He  would much rather face his own teammate, Sergio Ramos, than Spain`s two other centre-backs, Barcelona duo Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol.

Benzema began by discussing his Real Madrid teammates, of which there are five, but mostly discussed centre-back Sergio Ramos and goalkeeper, Iker Casillas.



“I’ve been getting messages from a few of the lads, especially Sergio Ramos, who’s a good friend of mine. I would rather be up against him than Gerard Piqué or Carles Puyol, because I know him better.



“Casillas is one of the best players in the world, that’s all that needs to be said on the matter.”



The Frenchman then discussed the Spanish national team and losing to Spain in the Euro 2012 tournament.



“They are the best team in the world – they’ve won everything there is to win. I play with a lot of international players at Madrid, so I know what quality is. Having said that, I don’t think they are unbeatable, this is not mission impossible. It’s still 11 against 11.



“We lost this game [in June] but it doesn’t mean anything, that competition is now over. Now we have to try and win in the Calderón.



This game is different as it’s an international game, but the Calderón is always a difficult place to go, whether you are playing against Spain or Atlético Madrid.”

Ramos wants to avoid spot kicks

Spain defender Sergio Ramos hopes the Euro 2012 final against Italy is not decided by a penalty shoot-out.



Reigning European champions Spain beat Portugal 4-2 on penalties to progress from the semi-finals on Wednesday.



And Ramos does not want to see a repeat of the shootout in the final, to be played in Kiev on Sunday.



"Honestly, I would not like to go into a penalty shoot-out again," he said during a press conference.



"But we are very eager to win and for that we will need to stay humble and try to do things well, while respecting Italy.



"These days, memories of our recent past come to our mind. This motivates us to win this final and relive those incredible moments with the Spanish people."



Real Madrid defender Ramos converted his penalty against Portugal with an audacious chip, but said it was not intended as a message to those who criticised him for his failed attempt against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals.



"A lot of things were said and the truth is that they hurt my pride," Ramos said.



"But I did not take the penalty like this for any special reason, only because I was confident.



"There were many people waiting for me to miss, but that never affected me."



Andrea Pirlo has been an integral part of Italy's run to the final, but Ramos stressed the Juventus man was not the only threat to the defending champions.



"He is a unique player, one of the best in Italy, but he is not their only threat," Ramos said.



"What has taken them to the final is their collective game. There is not just one stand-alone player."



Barcelona player Cesc Fabregas, who also netted in the shootout against Portugal, also singled out Pirlo, along with strikers Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, as Italy's danger-men.



"We will have to stop Italy's attackers, and Pirlo as well," Fabregas said.



"Balotelli is a great player and he showed it yesterday. He scored two great goals against Germany in the semi-finals.



"That says it all. I really liked the way he played. He will be a threat, like Antonio Cassano or any other player."