The first words of Zizou: “I have a good feeling. We are pleased to be here in this game and we know what game to expect tomorrow. We know what we have to do and tomorrow we will give everything we have”.
Zinedine Zidane spoke ahead of the clash with Chelsea and it was Toni Kroos who joined him to inform the journalists further more. Zinedine Zidane has praised his side's resilience ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League semi final second leg at Chelsea. Real Madrid are looking to reach their fifth Champions League final with Zidane as coach, with the tie finely balanced at 1-1 ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge. Zinedine Zidane's press conference was focused on injury updates, specifically on Sergio Ramos.
On the centre-back, Zidane said: "Everyone who is here is prepared. We’ll see tomorrow who plays. The fact that Ramos is here with us means that he is prepared. That’s important. He is our leader and our captain. We won’t risk him, but if he’s here then it means he’s ready to play.”
Giving more reflections on the game, Zidane said: “We’re going to give our all, because this is a a Champions League semi-final. We have to play our game, it is a 90 minute game, maybe more. We are well prepared. We are in a CL semi final, you don't play them every day. My players are well prepared to perform tomorrow.
On how to stop Chelsea: “Tomorrow is a new match, completely different. We need to prepare well physically and it is also about stopping their strengths. They have quality of course”.
When asked about Hazard if it is a good time for him to flick the switch, Zidane answered: “It is a great time for it, a great time for him. He is prepared, that is good for us. We are going to need Eden. He will definitely be helping the team”.
Unsurprisingly, Zidane wasn’t giving much away when asked if he’d play a 4-3-3 or 3-5-2. He said: “What matters is what we do with the ball. The formation doesn’t change much. I’m sure we’ll have to suffer either way.”
Zidane was also asked about Gareth Bale’s hat-trick at the weekend but said he is a Tottenham player and that he said he wouldn’t discuss about that.
As known, Toni Kroos was the player selected to give the pre-match press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s second leg against Chelsea.
He said: “We know the quality they have, but I think we’re doing good. Although we’ve now lost Varane, we’ve got back some of those who weren’t available for the first leg. What we do when we have the ball will be important. We’re ready to fight to the end. You can’t explain what Sergio means for the team. Whether he plays or not is down to the coach.”
Chelsea's biggest threat: “In my 15 years playing football I have never lost sleep. I think they showed in Madrid they played as a team., they have a German coach and that doesn't surprise me. They defend very well, they concede very few goals and up front have real pace”.
On Kroos, Modric, Casemiro - being often named as the best midfield in the world: “Well I don't know about that. Of course it is nice to hear that. It doesnt matter to me if we are the best midfield. We have had a good season but at the end of the day, you want to be winning something at the end and that is why we play football”.
Asked about the coach and his future, Kroos said, among chuckles: “I think he will be our coach next season. He has a contract!”
Finally, Kroos was asked about Hazard, how he’s doing and what he can bring to this tie. He said: ”We know what Eden can contribute. I think he’s doing better, able to contribute to his level. It’s hard to know how he truly is, because he’s played so little, but he is always a dangerous player.”
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