Shakhtar are a fast and dynamic team

- Nacho, do you remember the UCL final against Liverpool back in 2018 at the NSC Olimpiyskiy when Real won 3-1? What’s your impression of the arena where you are meeting with Shakhtar tomorrow?

- I always like playing at the stadiums associated with some pleasant memories and iconic victories. The NSC is a very good stadium. I hope that success will motivate us to claim another victory here.

- Eden Hazard suffered another injury just recently. Do you agree that the opponents deliberately play rough against the Belgian to prevent him from showing his class?

- Hazard is an important player of our team who can cause the opponents lots of problems, that’s why they always pay special attention to him and play dirty. Currently, Hazard is experiencing a streak of bad luck due to injuries, but I think that soon those troubles will be over and he will help us in the rest of the season.

- Sergio Ramos is injured, and you now have the opportunity to prove yourself as it happened, for example, in the match against Inter when you were opposed by Lukaku. But if Ramos doesn’t extend his contract with Real Madrid, are you ready to replace him at centreback for long?

- Sergio is a fundamental player of our team. But I suppose that I also have certain qualities that are in demand with coaches – that’s versatility and the ability to take any defensive role. I operated everywhere but, of course, I particularly like my favourite centreback position. And I'm ready to replace Sergio until he recovers. However, as a Real Madrid fan and player, as well as his friend, I would very much like Ramos to renew his deal with the club.

- Recently, Real’s results have resembled a seesaw: the win over Inter was followed by a home LaLiga defeat at the hands of Alaves. How ready are the team to once again showcase their consistency in play and results mentally and functionally?

- Indeed, we haven’t been able to attain consistency yet. We had a great match against Inter in which we controlled the play and achieved a well-deserved 2-0 away victory. And then against Alaves, although we didn’t look that bad and had some chances, but couldn’t achieve the result and lost 1-2. However, Real have an excellent squad that allows us to compete for any trophy.

- Does this inconsistency imply a lack of concentration and motivation?

- Nope. In fact, the players of our club have got no motivation issues, I can assure you. Everyone is emotionally involved in their cause and is fighting for the colours they defend. But this is football, and we are ordinary people can also make mistakes. We may have good and bad days, but we are looking for balance and want to regain consistency as soon as possible.

- This season, Real's defensive performance is much worse …

- Indeed, the figures show that we presently defend worse, but we must take into account that our rivals just scrutinize our play and look for our weaknesses. Despite this, we must take a quality step forward in our play and defensively. We are working on this, especially since we score regularly in attacks.

- You’ve been at Real Madrid for a long time, but you’ve never been a permanent regular. Would you like to change that?

- Since being a boy, I’ve dreamed of playing for Real Madrid. And if they’d told me back then that I’d make so many appearances here and achieve what I’ve already achieved, I would have signed a deal with Real Madrid again without even looking at it. But, of course, I want to play more, not just 20 times a season, but 50. And yet I’m happy with what I’ve achieved at this club.

- What would you say about Shakhtar?