Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger has played down the threat that Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema will pose during Tuesday evening's UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.
The Blues, who got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday evening, defeating West Ham United 1-0 at the London Stadium thanks to Timo Werner's first goal since February, will travel to Spain to lock horns with Madrid for the first time since meeting in the UEFA Super Cup in 1998.
Both sides will enter the contest hoping to let the football do the talking after being involved in the European Super League debacle in the past week, as they look to each try and put one foot in the final of this season's competition ahead of next week's second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and Madrid chief Zinedine Zidane both have plenty of talent within their respective armouries to try and win the contest for their teams, with Madrid's most dangerous figures coming at the top end of the pitch in the form of the likes of Eden Hazard, Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema.
Benzema, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal in the past, is the Spanish club's leading goalscorer this season with 26 goals to his name.
His nearest challengers, Marco Asensio, Casemiro and Vinicius, have scored just six each, highlighting Benzema's importance.
Despite being aware of the dangers the Frenchman will pose, Rudiger is not overly concerned, insisting he is not alone in the battle to stop the experienced 33-year-old.
"He is one of the best strikers in the world,” Rudiger told Marca. "A player who has been at Madrid for more than ten years and who has achieved everything. A top player.
"But I’m not the only one up against him, we’re a team."
When Rudiger speaks about Chelsea being a team he is most certainly not wrong. Since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge towards the end of January, the Blues have become England's clean sheet specialists, recording 16 in their first 21 matches under the German.
With that record having been established in the last few months it is easy to understand why Rudiger is confident about the Blues' chances of keeping Benzema quiet.
As well as that, the defender, who has seen his career at Stamford Bridge resurrected under Tuchel, has admitted that it doesn't faze him going up against different types of strikers.
He added: "I don’t have a problem with any of them. I mean, as we play with a back three and I’m on the left, I can push forward without a problem if necessary.
"I can adapt to both circumstances."
In the Champions League this season, Benzema has scored five times in eight appearances, including three in his last four appearances.
