The Confederations Cup is now in its knockout round with Germany facing Mexico and Portugal taking on Chile. Should the two European sides play to their potential we could see a grand final and with that a possibility, Emre Can has stoked the flames by saying that no one is afraid of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 23-year-old German, who has played in a couple of games for a second-string Germany in the competition, was speaking before the clash against Mexico.

Eurosport quoted the Liverpool dynamo as saying:

“Nobody is scared of Ronaldo. Obviously he is a world-class player, but nobody is afraid of him.”

While Can should not count his chickens before they are hatched, especially the history surrounding knockout football, Germany have enough in their locker to defeat Mexico and reach the finals.

Portugal do have a tougher task as they take on a Chile side that is known for their teamwork and energy. Plus, Alexis Sanchez is in great form and Ronaldo will have to be at his best if he wants to take Portugal to another cup final, after winning Euro 2016.

Can might be playing games with the Portuguese legend but the last thing you would want is an angry Ronaldo against your side. The Real Madrid man has won the man-of-the-match award in all the three group games he played and will be looking to pull one off against Chile as well.

There was a meeting when we played against Real Madrid in a couple of Champions League group games but we had a poor result by finishing third in a relatively easy group. That might still be playing on the mind of Can and certainly with this Germany side, he could win the Confederations Cup.

The German has been at the heart of everything good that the World Champions have done in the last two games and certainly looks set to continue his good form for the national team.

That could play a huge role as we look to tie Can down to a long-term contract. The 23-year-old only has one year left on his current deal and it is no surprise that there have been positive comments from both sides as we look to hold on to one of the best midfielders we have.

Can does have a lot of potential and hopefully, he can stay with us for a number of years and take his ability to the next level.