Spain not making any ‘special’ plans to stop Ronaldo ahead of Euro SF clash

London: Spainish striker Alvaro Negredo has said Spain is not making any special plans to counter Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo in their Euro Cup semi final clash on Wednesday.

Ronaldo has been in blistering form during the Euros in Poland and Ukraine, notching decisive goals in the group stage game against Holland and in the quarter-final win over the Czech Republic. “No special plan, not even concerning fouls. It’s important not to do anything stupid. We have the best goalkeeper in the world and he knows Ronaldo. That’s a good thing,” Negredo said. The Spaniards believe that as Ronaldo is playing on domestice grounds, he isn’t a big threat and they ‘know him well’. “Yes, this is going to be the most important match, it can take us to the final. As to the line-up, we will start with people we trust and, of course, we have to take notice of Ronaldo. He’s an excellent player and it’s logical that there’s been so much talk about him. He also plays in Spain. It’s a factor,” Spain boss Vicente del Bosque said. Spanish defender Alvaro Arbeloa warned his international team-mates not to worry about Ronaldo. “We all know his level is really high at this Euro 2012. He is very demanding but at the same time very confident. He can play well, but we will try to stop him,” said the former Liverpool full-back. “We know that Portugal is not only Ronaldo, they have good players like Nani and other players with quality. We have to stop all of them, not just Cristiano,” he added. ANI