Real Madrid has been drawn against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals. The last time these two sides met was in the 2018 Champions League final, where Los Blancos beat the Reds by 3-1 in the way to claim their third successive Champions League title.
Real Madrid would look to keep their record intact against the Reds and progress to the semi-finals. Whereas Liverpool has been already out of the Premier League title race mathematically, and winning the Champions League is their only hope of silverware this season.
Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane thinks that Real Madrid have been underestimated heading into the Champions League tie.
Zidane said, via Marca: “Well, I think so. In the end, we deserve trust. What we can focus on is the day to day job. This team never gives up on anything.”
Speaking about the man in the opposite dugout, Zidane had nothing but kind words for Jurgen Klopp.
Zidane also commented on Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp: “He’s a great coach. He’s coached for a long time and he has experience.”
“He’s done very good work throughout his career, and everyone does their job their own way. I see a lot of different coaches and I saw a lot of different things during my coaching course.”
Karim Benzema is the one indisputable player in Real Madrid’s attack, and
Zidane is happy that his No.9 Karim Benzema has a good understanding with all of the players who can partner with him. He said: “Everyone here knows how to play and have earned their place at this club. They’re all the best players.”
“They all understand Karim, and Karim understands them all. There’s a lot of chemistry between them.”
Eden Hazard hasn’t been included in the Real Madrid squad for the Champions League tie against Liverpool. He said: “Eden has to be calm. We never risk a player returning if he’s not ready.”
“We’ll do things little by little and we’ll see when he’ll play again. That’s how it is at the moment.”
Zidane concluded: “I don’t know if it’s a weakness because they have other players. We also have absences, but the strength is in the team.”
“There are always players missing, but the strength is in the team. That’s how it is for us.”
