Ahead of the rematch tomorrow (Tuesday) at 22:00 between Real Madrid and Atlanta in the round of 16 of the Champions League final, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane and veteran striker Karim Benzema answered the press’ questions. If it goes up to the next stage it will be the first time since 2017/18 that the Blancos will play in the quarter-finals of the biggest European factory of all.
Zidane, The coach of the Spaniards and the one who led them to 3 consecutive victories in the Champions League, referred to the situation of Eden Hazard: “He will not be with us. These are things I can not explain, I hope it is a minor injury. ”
The lack of clarity continued: “Something is happening. He has never been career injured for an extended period and this is new to him. I can not explain more, we all want to help him. I ask the fans to be patient, we know what a player he is. The crowd wants to see him play like the club, the coaches and his teammates. He will arrive sooner or later. I do not know if this will happen in my time because he has a long contract. You have to be patient. “
The coach referred to our former player, Cristiano Ronaldo: “Are the rumors about Ronaldo’s return to Real true? They can be. We know Cristiano, but now he is a Juventus player and we must respect that. He plays for another club. Now let’s see what happens in the future. I was lucky to coach him and he is very impressive, but now he is helping Juventus. ”
Zidane on the approach to the game: “We have to start from scratch. We did not promise anything and we have to show a lot of things in order to pass a stage. We should not think that we promised the ascent after the first stage, of course not. One has to think of this game as a final. It’s a reciprocal game and you have to play a great game to get ahead, especially against a diverse opponent. “
Tactical preparation: “We can play with a set of three brakes and we did that in a number of games. We can play in different ways. We will see what we do tomorrow, but this is not the first time we have played with 3 brakes. ” In the last league game, it should be noted, the Blancos played with three brakes and defeated Elche 1: 2.
Rodrigo’s situation: “He has adapted to the league and he is our player now and in the future. We are happy with him and know what he can do with the ball. We have to let it develop, but we are very happy. “
Casmiro’s absence: “He will not play and there are other players who will come up and play well. I’m never worried about these things. We have players who will give a great game. “
The situation of Federico Valverda: “He has recovered from the injury and he wants to contribute in the way he can. “Tomorrow he will be ready, we will see what we are going to do.”
Zizu was asked about the medical condition of the Madrid players: “I do not think there is a problem. We are attentive people who are close to the players. We see what happens, of course. In the end there are things that happen in football. We talked about pre-season, about the games, from the head. “There is a very good medical team here that helps players recover, now there are fewer injuries.”
Benzema He was also asked about Eden Hazard, who could miss the game: “Laden has not been lucky since he arrived, I am sad for him. He is a great player who can help us a lot. He’s sad because he wants to show he’s a star. We consider his situation and want to help him. I hope they recover soon. “
The race for the La Liga championship: “I do not know if we are the favorites. We see big teams losing to small ones. Football has changed and all teams can reach the final stages. We’re still in the picture. “I do not agree with anyone who believes in inequality in Spanish football.” Benzema’s Real 6 points away from Atletico and first place in Spain.
The pressure to conquer, having not conquered in the previous game: “The pressure is always here and I have dealt with it since I was a child. All players want to score goals, we want to score. In the end the games are a different story. Players shut in from behind and it is difficult to score three or four goals. We work on it every day and I hope we conquer more. I speak for myself and the pressure is always on me, “said the striker, who scored 15 goals in 23 league games.
Game preparation: “Atlanta is a team that plays good and disciplined football, a classic Italian. We’re going to play with our ideas, play fast football to open their block. We are going to get on the field to win. “
His future: “I work for Real Madrid every day. I have a contract until 2022 and the door is open. If the president wants to renew my contract, I’m here. I am here and I want to continue here. “
About Ronaldo: “Cristiano and I did a lot of things here. I do not know how he is doing at Juventus, to me he always behaved nicely. I do not know if he’s going back to Madrid, I’m not the coach or the president. Of course I would like to play with him again. “
On Arling Holland, the Dortmund striker who was mentioned as a candidate for the Spanish champions: “I’m not going to talk about players who are not here. Every month we talk about people who are not here, players who score a lot of goals. He scores a lot for his team. If he has a chance to come, let him come. “
Benzema concluded: “I don’t mind talking about other scorers, because for me football is more than goals. There is also cooking and group help. “When I go up to this field to help and the most important thing is victory.” Benzema is two goals away from fourth place at all times in the Champions League, with 69 goals and Raul with 71 in fourth place. In front of them are Robert Lewandowski (72), Leo Messi and Ronaldo (120 each).