"We are a different team and this starts again 0-0" - Salzburg star sends message to Real Madrid ahead of Club World Cup clash

RB Salzburg midfielder Nene Dorgeles has sent a warning to Real Madrid ahead of their game on Wednesday, June 25. The LaLiga giants lock horns with the Austrian side in the final group stage tie in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Los Blancos are leading Group H after two games, but Salzburg are second, tied on points with Xabi Alonso's side. Both sides have one draw and one win in the tournament so far.

Interestingly, Real Madrid secured a 5-1 win over Salzburg in the Champions League in the 2024-25 season. Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior scored two goals each, while Kylian Mbappe also got on the scoresheet.

However, speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday's game, as cited by AS, Dorgeles insisted that Salzburg have improved since their previous meeting.

“Madrid has a huge number of big names, football players from whom I can learn a lot. The one who impressed me the most was Rodrygo, what he did that day was incredible,” said Dorgeles

He continued:

“It is not a disgrace for an Austrian club to lose against Real. We have improved since that game in Madrid. The circumstances at the Bernabeu were not ideal, but we have progressed. We are a different team and this starts again 0-0.”

Real Madrid arrive at the game on the back of a 3-1 win over Pachuca.

Has Luis Figo advised Real Madrid to move for Nico Williams?

Real Madrid legend Luis Figo has urged the club to make a move for Nico Williams this summer. The Spanish forward has been in red-hot form for Athletic Bilbao in recent times, and is expected to take the next step in his career this summer.

Williams registered 11 goals and seven assists from 45 games across competitions for the Basque club in the 2024-25 season. Recent reports have suggested that Barcelona are close to securing the 22-year-old's signature this summer.

Speaking to AS, Figo was full of praise for Williams.

“There are a lot of players I like. I would sign Nico Williams, for sure. He’s a gem. And at the end of the day the price [the Athletic player’s buy-out clause is €58 million], with what is being paid today, seems affordable to me. Because of the quality he has and also because of his youth,” said Figo.

Real Madrid have signed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen so far this summer.

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Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit