Zidane denies Real’s mental edge in Madrid duo’s new Euro face-off
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REAL Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane insists his team does not have a psychological advantage over UEFA Champions League semifinal opponent Atletico Madrid despite beating it in two finals in three years.
As well as its victories in Lisbon (2014) and Milan (2016), Real knocked out Atletico in the 2015 quarterfinals. Atletico has never lifted European club soccer’s most prestigious trophy while Real has won it a record 11 times.
Zidane, however, thinks the past will be irrelevant when the teams meet today in the first leg at the Bernabeu. “It means nothing that we’ve beaten them in this competition,” he told reporters yesterday.
“I’m not thinking about Cardiff (the venue for the final) either. We have to win tomorrow’s game. We have prepared well and we are ready.
“Everyone is pumped up and we’re ready for the run-in. I wish the game would start now.”
The Frenchman confirmed that defender Raphael Varane is fit to play after recovering from a hamstring injury, but Pepe and Gareth Bale will miss the game due to injury.
Isco is likely to start in place of Wales forward Bale after being rested for the 2-1 win over Valencia on Saturday.
The midfielder recalled Sergio Ramos’s stoppage-time goal against Atletico in Lisbon that forced the 2014 final into extra-time. “It still makes my hairs stand up,” Isco told the club website. “It was a really important goal, when he scored it I knew we wouldn’t lose. It came at a key moment and I felt like I’d also scored the goal.”
Atletico, meanwhile, might not be able to rely on its mighty defense today.
Atletico’s back line has been depleted because of a series of injuries and coach Diego Simeone will have to improvise.
Simeone won’t be able to count on key defensive players such as Jose Gimenez and Juanfran Torres for the game, and they may not even recover in time for the second leg at the Vicente Calderon next week.
It was Simeone’s stout defense that helped carry Atletico deep in earlier UCL campaigns, and that solidity has continued this season. The team has the best record in the Spanish league, with only 25 goals conceded in 35 games. But the coach will have to overcome the injuries if the back line is to contain the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
“We will find the solutions for the game on Tuesday,” Simeone said, trying to stay positive.
Gimenez was the latest player to go down with an injury, hurting a left leg muscle in the team’s league win at Las Palmas over the weekend.
Gimenez is a central defender but was playing as a right back to replace Torres, who was out with a hamstring ailment. Torres’ immediate substitute at right back is Sime Vrsaljko, but he has been sidelined because of a left knee injury and is not expected to be back in time for the first leg.
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