Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane tries to shift the attention of El Clasico away from Barcelona spear, Lionel Messi. Switching the spotlight onto his own stars ahead of Wednesday’s game.
The top position will be on the line when Madrid head to Camp Nou to aim their first victory in seven LaLiga games, against the leaders and reigning champions.
Los Blancos will be without Eden Hazard and Marcelo during the tie but the in-form Karim Benzema is up for grabs. Also, the 11-game unbeaten mark cutting across all competitions should inspire Madrid to grab the headlines from star man Messi.
The Argentine has hit 18 LaLiga goals against the Galacticos and is set to match Xavi’s record of 42 Clasico appearances.
Zidane, however, implies that if the Catalans have Messi, he has his weapons as well. It will be a big game of 11 against 11, showcasing their talents.
The Frenchman believes he has what it takes to level the tie and deserves the limelight. He said this during his pre-match news conference:
“Whatever happens, it’s a game of football. We’ll start off with 11 against 11, we’ll see if it finishes like that,”
“We know who we’re up against, a very good side. They’ve proven that for a long time. We know what kind of player Messi is but we’ve got our weapons as well.
“Hopefully we’re going to see a good game of football against a good team that is in form.”
– Zinedine Zidane
Head coach Real Madrid charged then-Madrid midfielder, Mateo Kovacic with man-marking Messi in a December 2017 meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The plan rebounded as the six times Ballon d’Or winner scored in a 3-0 victory for the guests. Well, Zidane might not want to return to the tactic for the fear of another failure.
The former France attacking midfielder insists that the Wednesday game will be different with a unique style. His concentration is not on the full-time result but the pleasure from the show.
