Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane talked to the press ahead of the team’s match against Juventus in the opening leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals. Los Blancos will visit Juventus this Tuesday —20:45 CET— and then the return leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu. The French coach said that this will be a different match from the one which allowed Madrid to conquer La Duodecima last season.
“This game bears no relation to what happened 10 months ago. What has happened is now in the past and we must focus on this tie and put in a good performance tomorrow,” said Zidane.
Much has changed from last season, considering that Real Madrid haven’t been as impressive this time around. Still, Zidane believes that his team hasn’t changed.
“There haven’t been that many changes for us since the Final. It’s pretty much the same set of players. Since then, our season hasn’t gone as well as we had hoped. We’ve got players coming back for this game and everyone is available apart from Nacho. I’ve got some selection headaches, but that’s good news for everyone,” added Zidane.
Isco, Bale, Asensio and Lucas Vazquez are competing for two spots in the team’s starting lineup. Lucas and Asensio appear to have the edge but Bale scored a double against Las Palmas last Saturday and Isco completed an impressive performance for Spain during the FIFA break, so Zidane could decide to give them a chance.
“I am going to use every player on this squad. It’s true that some of them might be playing more often at times but everyone is important. Isco is one of them. It’s different with the Spanish national team because they play six or seven games, we play around 60. Every man is important, this is how I am as a coach and it’s not going to change,” explained Zidane about Isco’s role.
The French coach also talked about what kind of system he will deploy.
“I like every formation. We can choose between a 4-4-2 diamond or a regular 4-4-2 with wingers, but also a 4-3-3. I like to change and play with a different style so there isn’t a particular formation that I prefer,” concluded Zidane without revealing his choice for this game.