Bayern's Philipp Lahm believes good team-work will be crucial if his side are going to contain Real's record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lahm relishing chance to play against Real superstar
Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm believes good team-work will be crucial against Real Madrid if his side are going to contain record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Bundesliga giants are preparing to face Real in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg and know the threat posed by their top scorer.
The Portugal international scored his 41st Primera Liga goal this season against strugglers Sporting Gijon on Saturday; a record achievement currently matched only by Barcelona's Lionel Messi.
Team effort
Germany skipper Lahm knows it will take a team effort to subdue the Los Blancos ace, who has scored 59 times in 55 games for club and country this season.
"I think you have to talk about the whole team, we need to work together, stand together and be organised and then you have the chance to nullify a player like that, but things can happen fast," said the full-back.
"You can't eradicate any single player, besides we have players like (Arjen) Robben, (Thomas) Mueller and Toni Kroos they will need to worry about."
Lahm is relishing the prospect of taking on a player who has established himself as one of the world's best.
"You have to have a lot of respect for someone like him, especially after what he has achieved," he added.
"I know what he has had to do to reach that level, you have to work really hard and he is the sorts of player you want to play against and compare yourself to."
The right-back will be tasked with containing Ronaldo down his flank but Bayern trainer Jupp Heynckes, who coached Real Madrid to the 1998 UEFA Champions League title, insists his side can ill afford to worry about just one player.
Responsibility
"Ronaldo verses Lahm sounds good to an outsider, but if you study Real, (Karim) Benzema also plays well whether on the wing or the middle, same for (Gonzalo) Higuain," said Heynckes.
"It isn't just Philipp Lahm's job to stop Ronaldo, it is the whole team's responsibility.
"And I will show the team what they need to do to stop him as a group."
