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What's the story?
Barcelona legend Rivaldo has weighed in on Real Madrid's big game losses without their all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that it is normal for fans to miss the Portuguese talisman in crucial games.
In case you didn't know...
Real Madrid has had a roller-coaster of a season so far, with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane heavily influencing their results this campaign.
Ronaldo left the Bernabeu in the same summer as Zidane and moved to Serie A giants Juventus in a hefty £105 million transfer.
Since then, the Los Blancos have endured a series of disappointing results, including three Clasico defeats and the sacking of Julen Lopetegui.
Santiago Solari is now in charge of the European champions but even he couldn't escape a Copa del Rey elimination at the hands of the Catalans on Wednesday.
The heart of the matter
Following their Copa del Rey defeat earlier this week, Rivaldo has spoken about the importance of a player, like Ronaldo, who is efficient in big, crucial games.
Speaking in an interview with Betfair, he said, "Every time Madrid lose at home to his biggest rival without scoring, it's normal that fans and press remember Cristiano Ronaldo and his goals in these kinds of matches."
Rivaldo, however, added that the team must move forward from Ronaldo's departure as he is no longer a part of the team.
"He used to love these big matches and will keep being missed in these occasions, but he's gone now, and the team must move forward."
"They weren't efficient offensive on Wednesday and ended up paying for that."
The former Barcelona star believes that Real Madrid should try to recover their confidence and win tonight as a loss would mean the end of their La Liga hopes this season.
"Now it's time to try to recover confidence with a victory against Barcelona on Saturday, as they are already out of the Copa del Rey and another loss will mean they are also out of the La Liga title race."
What's next?
You can catch the much-awaited Clasico between the two rivals at 1:15 am (IST).
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