Who's afraid of Real Madrid?

By Maciej Iwanski

When Wisla Kraków learnt that their next UEFA Champions League opponents would be Real Madrid CF, they were understandably shocked. "It was the worst possible draw for us," said striker Maciej Zurawski. "All we can do now is get on the pitch and fight as hard as we can."

Final hurdle
After taking an 8-2 lead in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie against FC WIT Georgia, Henryk Kasperczak's side had hoped to reach the group stage this season, having fallen at the final hurdle - the third qualifying round - on the last two occasions.

Sensible planning
In 2001/02, they lost 5-3 on aggregate to FC Barcelona while last summer, they went down 4-1 on aggregate to RSC Anderlecht after selling two of their best players. Owner Boguslaw Cupial did not repeat that mistake this time, buying the best players he could in anticipation of a successful European venture.

Venue switched
So, to be faced with a seemingly impossible mission seemed a massive blow for Wisla. When the Polish champions considered switching the venue of the home leg of the third qualifying round tie from their 10,000-capacity stadium to the 50,000 Slaski arena in Chorzow, it looked like an attempt to grab some ticket revenue as consolation for an inevitable defeat.

Staying put
However, the club's owner Cupial bowed to the will of his players who insisted that the game be played on home soil to give Wisla the best possible chance of progressing. If anyone from Madrid noticed, that was a clear sign that Wisla believe they can win.

Confident supporters
Supporters at Wisla's first league game of the season last weekend, a 5-1 win against GKS Górnik Leczna, sounded just as confident as they sang a Polish variant of the old English terrace favourite, 'Who the **** are Real Madrid?'.

Huge challenge
The playing staff, though, are resigned to facing a huge challenge. "We would have preferred to meet them in the group stage, but there is nothing we can do about it now," said goalkeeper Radoslaw Majdan.

Dyeing wish
Zurawski, meanwhile, has said he would gladly miss out on joining the exclusive club of strikers who have scored 100 Ekstraklasa goals if he could register against Madrid - no small sacrifice considering he already has 98 of them. An FC Barcelona fan, Zurawski has even considered dyeing his hair in the Blaugrana colours for the big match.

In form
Certainly, their win last Saturday confirmed that Wisla are in stirring form, with Zurawski having hit four goals in his last two outings and strike partner Tomasz Frankowski six. "I am in good form, but how it will go against the Spanish team, nobody knows," said Frankowski. "We hope we will do well."

Optimistic viewpoint
Coach Kasperczak, a member of the Stal Mielec team that lost 3-1 on aggregate to Madrid in the 1976/77 European Champion Clubs' Cup, has a similarly optimistic outlook.

'Just footballers'
"We have our ideas as to how to beat Real," he said. "If you are about to play Madrid, it is good to remember that they are just football players and it means there is always the chance of beating them."