Alonso seeks birthday bonus

Alonso aiming for Real birthday treat

Last updated: 25th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Alonso seeks birthday bonus

Alonso: Birthday boy

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Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso intends to celebrate his birthday in style on Wednesday night - with victory over FC Zurich in the UEFA Champions League group stage match on Swiss turf.

The midfielder, 28, hopes to secure a win for the Spanish club in order to confirm their status as top of Group C.

Following Wednesday's match, there is one remaining game left in the initial group stages to guarantee their progression to the final 16 - against Marseille at home on 8th December.

Alonso, a prominent figure in Manuel Pellegrini's side, believes that beating the Swiss side will be the perfect birthday gift but will not take anything for granted.

Crucial

The former Liverpool star told realmadrid.com: "A victory against FC Zurich is vital. We want to win the match and I hope it gives us a ticket to the next stage.

"Nowadays, any team can defeat you if you don't do your best. The Swiss surprised Milan by defeating them 1-0 in Italy. We will suffer if we fail to be in top form."

With star player Cristiano Ronaldo set to return to competitive action after six weeks out with an ankle injury, Alonso has high hopes for the outcome.

"We want to reach the next round and it would be even better to do so as group leaders," he said.

"Cristiano is a crucial player, thanks to his special skills, but he will nevertheless need time to adapt again after missing so many games.

"We know he is important, but we can't expect him to be 100 per cent fit right now."

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