“Valencia will cause us problems and we’ll have to be at our best”, explained the coach.
Zinedine Zidane spoke to the media in the wake of his side’s final training session ahead of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, with the Whites’ boss previewing the game in the following terms: “We’ve not come here to make up the numbers, it’s an important competition and we want to give our all. We know that it’s going to be tough, but we have to play to our best”.
“I’m happy to be here because it’s an important competition and one that my players and I are up for. We’re here to play in the Spanish Super Cup, we’ve received a really warm welcome and are delighted with the welcome we’ve been given in Saudi Arabia. We’re abroad but we adapt to things. We’re fully focused on the semi-final, which for us is like a cup final”.
Pre-match vibes
“Each game is completely different. We’re both away from home, tomorrow’s game is a knockout tie and I think that changes everything. Given the absentees, we’ll field a different team, but we’re in exactly the same frame of mind: we’re happy and intent on putting all of our energy into it. We’ve got good vibes, we’re missing the likes of [Karim] Benzema and [Gareth] Bale, but that’s the way things go. We’ve got a really big squad and the rest of them are here to deliver and produce a good performance tomorrow”.
Injuries
“I’m just focused on tomorrow’s game, I’m not looking any further ahead than that. We’ll then see what happens after the game. Bale’s injury was a medical decision and we’ve got to accept it. [Luka] Jović could be a good choice, but, as always, you’ll find out tomorrow”.
