Antonio Rudiger has insisted Real Madrid are out for 'revenge' in their Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City.
Los Blancos host the reigning European champions in the first leg of their last-eight matchup on Tuesday night in a rematch of last season's semi-final.
City trounced Madrid on their way to Champions League glory in 2023. They earned a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu before prevailing 4-0 back at the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking ahead of their latest meeting, Rudiger revealed last year's battle still weighs on the minds of he and his teammates.
"There's the feeling of last season, of course. It was something, how you English people call it, a 'thrashing'," Rudiger told TNT Sports. "We are looking forward to this game."
When asked if Madrid want to exact 'revenge' and if that is a motivation, Rudiger replied: "No but I think this is clear, this is very clear. Because last year it was a tough moment.
"Of course, there is a bit [of motivation], we want revenge "
Rudiger will once again come up against Erling Haaland, who did not score any of City's five goals across the two legs of last year's semi-finals.
"It's not only him, you also have to keep the players around him very quiet, which is not an easy job. You have to prevent them passing him the ball. Then you are a step closer to reaching your target " Rudiger said of Haaland.
"This is the thing about this stage, you want to compete against the best. Last year, they were the best in Europe. It's good to compete against them, they have a lot of good players."
The winner of this tie will take on either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.