Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane demanded more respect for his Real Madrid team, while Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp spoke about a different confrontation with the royal club and confirmed that he had reviewed his position on Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.
Real Madrid will host Liverpool tomorrow, Tuesday, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, in the first confrontation between the two teams since their meeting in the 2018 final, which ended in favor of the Madridists, and witnessed the exit of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah after colliding with Ramos in the first half of the match.
Zidane considered that this confrontation does not occupy his mind today, and said, "We do not think about the past, the important thing is now and tomorrow's match." He refused to talk about weakness in Liverpool's defense due to absences, and stressed that the team has ready alternatives to compensate the injured.
The French coach said that his team is also suffering from absences;
But he stressed that he is betting on the strength of the group to achieve a good result before the second leg that brings the two teams together next week.
Zidane returned to the criticism leveled at the team earlier in the season, and said, "I think that my team has been underestimated, but I trust the players a lot. Coronation.
🏆🇺🇦 The Decimotercera ...
⚪️ Real Madrid beat Liverpool in 2018 final, a game which substitute Gareth Bale's stunning overhead effort 🔥 @realmadriden |
#UCLdraw |
#UCL pic.twitter.com/cYSrt87PCT
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 19, 2021
On the other hand, the Liverpool coach spoke about the 2018 match, and said that his team would win if it was better than Real Madrid in the face of tomorrow.
Klopp said, "We played well in the Kiev final until the 25th minute (Salah was injured). Tomorrow we will face a great team, and we have a chance to win. Everyone says they are favorites, but if we are better and scored more goals, we will qualify."
Regarding his relationship with Ramos, Klopp confirmed that he could reconsider a previous statement in which he confirmed that he would not invite the Real Madrid captain to his birthday;
Because of what he did with Salah, he said, "Now I will think about it again. I already said that what happened that night I did not like."
And about his training opportunities for Real Madrid, the German coach said, "I do not think that I will regret not having trained Real Madrid;