Ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane claimed that not qualifying for the final would amount to failure. Zidane has only been in charge of the club for four months but the irony of a Real Madrid manager under pressure was not lost on him.
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“When you coach Real Madrid, you imagine that you might go a long way in the Champions League,” Zidane said. “I’m happy. Not because of what may happen [in the semi-final] but because of what is happening day to day.”
Ronald fit, Benzema and Casemiro could miss out
Manchester City were held to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad in the first leg last week but the Spanish side missed the services of in-form star Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward is expected to feature in the second leg after Zidane claimed he was 100% fit’.
However, Real Madrid could be without Karim Benzema and Casemiro. Both picked up knocks and Zidane confirmed he would not risk them.
“Karim had a scan and there’s still a touch [of injury] and I don’t want to take any risks,” the Frenchman explained. “Casemiro is not an injury as such but there’s swelling and I don’t want to risk it.”
With Casemiro out of the starting lineup, Zidane will have to rotate his midfield players and possibly change tactics. When asked about what his plans were, he said: “You’ll see tomorrow.”
Zidane warns Real Madrid could suffer against Manchester City
“It’s going to be difficult,” Zidane said. “But if we don’t advance it will be a failure.
“We have been saying that we haven’t won anything yet. Our goal is to advance. We will do our best to try to make it happen.”
The French manager will take heart in the club’s record at home in the Champions League this season. Los Blancos won all three group stage fixtures and the two knockout fixtures so far, scoring an incredible 18 goals without conceding even a single goal.
“It will not be like the last game against Wolfsburg,” Zidane continued. “We won’t score two goals in 15 minutes.”
Real Madrid were down 2-0 before the second leg of the quarter-final to Wolfsburg before a 3-0 reverse at the Bernabeu saw them qualify for the semi-finals. Ronaldo had grabbed a hat-trick in that game, scoring the first two goals within 17 minutes before grabbing the winner in the 77th minute.
“We will suffer for 90 minutes,” Zidane warned. “Or 120.”
After neighbours and arch rivals Atletico Madrid reached the final with a win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, there is more incentive for Real Madrid to go through and make it a repeat of the 2014 final where they eventually went on to win La Decima – their 10th European crown.
“I hope we can produce 90 minutes of football like we played in the second half [in the first leg],” Zidane concluded. “We have to think about pressing high, having the intensity you need in a semi-final, but we have to know we’ll suffer.
“We need to be calm, have patience. They [Manchester City] are playing for a place in the final, too.”
