Mateo Kovacic: 'Real Madrid born for the Champions League'

Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic has talked up his side's chances of successfully retaining the Champions League for a second time after overcoming fellow heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain.

Los Blancos put their poor domestic campaign to one side by easing to a 5-2 aggregate win over PSG, paving the way for a place in the last eight for the eighth season in a row.

Madrid have lifted the famous trophy three times in the last four years, including in back-to-back campaigns, and Kovacic admits that the reigning champions have a real love affair with UEFA's flagship competition.

"It feels good," he told BT Sport following the 2-1 second-leg win in Paris. "It was a difficult game. They play nice football, but we played well.

"They had the ball more than us but we were very aggressive. It's difficult to beat us when we play like that. It's amazing how it's changed when we play in the Champions League. This club is born to play in the Champions League."

Real are third in the Spanish top flight, 15 points behind leaders Barcelona, and exited the Copa del Rey early on.