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Zinedine Zidane and Sergio Ramos talked to the press ahead of Real Madrid’s decisive match against PSG —Tuesday, 20:45 CET—. Both men acknowledged that Madrid still have to take care of business and perform well if they want to play in the next round, no matter if Los Blancos have a 3-1 lead on aggregate or if Neymar won’t be available.
“We know that we’ll have to dig in and that they’ll make life hard for us, but we’ll have to dig deep and play our game,” said Zidane.
“When there’s no margin for error it makes it like a cup final and tomorrow is one of those games. That’s the way they’re looking at it, just like in their previous knockout ties,” added Ramos when asked about the same matter.
“Neymar is a unique player, there’s nobody else like him in the world. Whatever team he’s playing for, you always have to be on your guard. We’ve come up against his talents in recent years. It could well be Di María that comes in for him and it won’t make a bit of difference. Perhaps Di María helps out more defensively and offers a greater all-round contribution,” said the team’s captain about Neymar missing the match.
“It doesn’t change anything whilst at the same time it changes everything. He’s an exceptional player, but for us it doesn’t make any difference because another player will come in and he’ll be really up for it and will want to put in a great performance. In terms of motiviation it doesn’t alter a thing because we’ll still be up against very competitive opposition with some great players,” explained Zidane.
Di Maria will most likely be the player replacing Neymar in PSG’s starting XI. The former Real Madrid man will surely be motivated enough to prove that Los Blancos shouldn’t have sold him.
“He’s a tremendous player who has made history with Real Madrid. He’s capable of playing anywhere across the midfield. He’s quick, moves well and has a good shot on him. We’ll try and put a side out that’ll see us play our own game and prevent them from making life difficult for us,” said Zidane, who didn’t coach Di Maria.
Marcelo will be back in the team’s starting lineup and his presence will increase Madrid’s chances.
“We’re all happy whenever a teammate returns to fitness. Marcelo’s return brings with it a joy to our play and he’s a fine player. We’re delighted that he’s back in contention. It’s always an advantage to have him available, not just in terms of our defence, but in attack too. He offers a great deal and he’s another weapon that we can call on,” concluded Ramos.
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Date: 03/06/2018
Time: 20:45 CET, 02:45pm EST, 11:45am Pacific.
Venue: Parc Des Princes, Paris, France.
Available TV: FOX Sports 1 (USA), BT Sport 2 (UK), Antena 3 (Spain).
Available Streaming: FOX Sports GO (USA), Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a winter discount for new members and Managing Madrid readers).