Benzema qualified for Real, Zidane: Tomorrow we will know if he will play

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With a gap of five points between them, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will meet tomorrow (Sunday, 17:15) in Vanada Metropolitano for a derby beyond the urban prestige, may be decisive regarding the championship race in Spain. Yet, Zindin Zidane As usual, he refrained from making statements: “Tomorrow it is not a game about the title, but about points. No matter what happens, we will still be in the championship race. We are focused on playing well, that is the most important thing for us.”

After the stumble against Real Sociedad in the last round, Real Madrid comes into the game from third place, with a 53-point tie with Barcelona, โ€‹โ€‹and a victory will help the champions narrow the gap from Atletico (58) to just two points, although the leader has a game in hand. This will be the 30th Madrid derby between teams in all competitions in the last eight years, and the balance is particularly close: 11 wins for Real, 8 for Atletico and 10 draws, with Los Blancos not losing in the last seven.

Zidane’s last loss as Atletico coach was five years ago, and he never lost at Wanda Metropolitano. “It means nothing,” the Frenchman declared. “Every day is a new day, a new history and a new game. We will come to win. We are excited about what we did, but it has happened in the past and does not help us. I do not know what will happen, I can say we are playing against an exceptionally good opponent leading the league. “It’s important to be good for 90 minutes. The players love games like this.”

After there was a real fear that he would reach the game without a natural central striker, Karim Benzema was still included in the Spanish champions’ squad at the last minute, and he may return to the squad tomorrow. “We will not take a risk,” Zidane said of the chances of his star opening at the top. “If in doubt, he will not play so that he does not hurt himself more and will be absent for longer. Tomorrow we will know which players will play, they should always be 100% qualified. Benzema is a special player, and for anyone who loves football, he is a pleasure to watch. That we have it. “

Unlike Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Danny Carvajal, Mariano and Eden Hazard will continue to be absent, and Zidane spoke of the Belgian’s condition: “There is no deterioration in his condition, we just want him to be 100% fit in the next games, which is what he is doing slowly. We know how much. He is important to our team, and we need to consider how he feels. “

Without Benzema, Los Blancos have had a very hard time conquering in the last month, and the coach said: “I think we create more situations, but every player can be better and that’s what we do. Asensio, Vinicius and Rodrigo. Everyone wants to get better and conquer. I as a player also conquered a lot “And I set a goal to conquer more. The players have the quality to do that.”

On the other hand, the deliberation of Diego Simeone She is likely to be in charge of the attack alongside Luis Suarez, Joao Felix or Angel Korea: “We are training for both of those options. On the one hand Korea is more involved in teamwork, but Joao has things no one will play tomorrow and his numbers are very good. Both They will play, only one will open and the other will have to wait. “

Like Zidane, at least outwardly, Simeone is also sure that Atletico’s victory will not take Real Madrid out of the race: some time ago they talked about winning the championship, with no chances for Barcelona or Real Madrid, and look where they are now. We know how difficult this race is. Tomorrow two teams in a similar situation will meet, and the season is still long. We will try to do damage where possible. “

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