Real Madrid will look to humiliate Atletico Madrid in UCL second leg, Zinedine Zidane says
By Ben Sundock
Taking a 3-0 lead into the second leg on the road in the Vicente Calderon, Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane might be expected to play defensively and protect the lead. However, the manager has a different plan he wants to employ. Ben Sundock tells you why Atletico Madrid should be careful defensively at home against their rivals.
Zidane is clearly as focused a manager as he was a player, showing no signs of laying off the gas in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal tie with cross town rivals, Atletico Madrid. This will, shockingly, be the fifth time in less than a year that these two bitter rivals have met. Coming into this match, Zidane knows what his team needs to do to win, having defeated Diego Simeone twice this season.
It seems clear that Zidane has no intentions of his record against Atleti changing come tomorrow night’s match, saying in his press conference today following training”
"“We’ll try to go in to the game as we have been doing so far. You have to go out on to the field, try to play and do your best to win the game. Our idea doesn’t change and our way of playing is always to give our best. The message to the players is to continue on the path that we’re on and give everything out on the field. We’re not going to change the way we play”."
This is now the fourth season in a row this two bitter rivals have gone toe-to-toe in the Champions League, with Real Madrid bullying Atleti in all the matchups, never losing.
The pressure is certainly on Real, who keep hearing about how difficult it will be for them to repeat as Champions League winner’s, a feat that has never been achieved by any team in the history of the competition.
Despite the success Real Madrid has enjoyed, Zidane will not look to it as a boost to his team’s ability; “They have their strengths and we have ours, the fact we’ve won two finals against them doesn’t mean we’re going to get through if we think it does then we’re making a big mistake.”
Zidane seems to have taken all the necessary precautions to have his team at full strength for this mid-week match, having rested the majority of his regulars in a resounding 4-0 win over Granada Saturday. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t make the trip, and Toni Kroos and Isco both didn’t feature despite being on the bench.
Marcelo also didn’t start in his normal left full back position, but came off the bench for a sparing role.
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“We have an incredible squad,” Zidane concluded his presser by saying. “It’s a credit to all the players, who are extraordinary and very professional. I try to be the one who drives the boat and say that we always have to give our best, starting with me”.
Zidane has certainly done a great job leading his team and making sure they stay focused, making sure to always keep the team focused on one match at a time, and stay the course.
It will be yet another huge match between these two long time rivals, but it will be the last between them at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.