San Lorenzo's veteran midfielder Juan Mercier has issued a warning to Real Madrid that they will not lie down when they play in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
The two sides meet in Morocco on Saturday evening, with the Copa Libertadores champions progressing to the final after beating the Oceania Football Confederation champions Auckland City 2-1 after playing 120 minutes.
However, despite the quality difference, 34-year-old Mercier says that his side will not "bow down" to the star-studded team from La Liga and should expect a tough test.
"We know that Real Madrid have got players who are out of this world, who are from a different planet, but we've got things going for us too and we don't bow down to anyone," Mercier told FIFA.com.
"That's what made us the champions of the Americas and that's why we're playing in this tournament. We know what we're here for.
"At my age this is like touching heaven. I've played a lot of second division football and reached the top flight at a late age, so I never thought I'd ever be in a situation like this, about to take on Real Madrid. I couldn't be more grateful to the game of football."
Real Madrid beat Cruz Azul 4-0 on Tuesday evening as Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Isco all got themselves onto the scoresheet.
Sam McEvoy
