In the eve of their first meeting against Liverpool since the 2017-18 final, French coach Zinedine Zidane addressed the media with an emphatic message against those who have dismissed his team's chances of success.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Zidane revealed just how ready his team is to fight for a spot in the semis against Klopp's side, and while doing so, he aimed a dig at the naysayers that see Los Blancos out of the tournament without even having played the first leg of the tie.
"Well, I think that some have snubbed us without even considering our chances. We deserve the trust of our fans. All we can do is work every day, and we've been able to turn the tides in our favor because we never take anything for granted. This is something that our club has always been proud of, and to those who have ruled us out already, let me tell you that as long as there is life in us, we will never go down without a fight," Zidane stated.
The French tactician went on to praise his colleague Jürgen Klopp ahead of the game, adding that he took some of his concepts and applied them to his philosophy ever since he started studying to become a coach.
"He is a great coach. He's been coaching for quite a while, he's experienced. His entire coaching career has been great. I had a chance to look at his work when I was preparing to become a coach," Zidane added.
One of the major issues Zidane has had to deal with during the season has been the amount of injuries suffered by his players, especially Eden Hazard. While the Belgian ace seemed fit to return to action against the Reds, Zidane openly admitted that he will use Hazard when he thinks he is fit enough to stand the stress of a game.
"Eden has to keep calm. We've never rushed the return of a player if they are not OK. We will take things slow and wait for him to become available. That's all I can say about it now," Zidane concluded.
Those last words by Zidane turned out to be a sign of things to come, as the club revealed the squad that will face Liverpool hours later with the Belgian ace nowhere to be found.
Our 21-man squad for the match @LFC! #UCL pic.twitter.com/1Px28QcI5T
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) April 5, 2021
The Spanish club will be facing some key matchups this week, including the return leg of this match and El Clásico next Saturday. Some experts have said that the outcome of these games could be crucial to determine Zidane's future as Los Merengues' boss...
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