MADRID (SPAIN) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane once again lamented the packed fixture schedule as his injury-hit side prepare to take on Alaves in La Liga on Saturday.
The game against the Basque outfit will be Real’s third in a run of ten matches in 32 days. Zidane, who is without many players due to injury including captain Sergio Ramos and forward Karim Benzema, insisted there is a duty to look after player welfare.
“We’re only at the start of the season. We want it to be a spectacle like it was before, but things have changed,” he told a news conference on Friday.
“What matters to me is looking after the players. When one of my players is injured, I suffer for them. Right now, with all the games that we have coming thick and fast, we need to take care.”
In addition to Ramos and Benzema, Zidane confirmed he would be missing midfielder Federico Valverde, as well as defenders Alvaro Odriozola and Dani Carvajal. Luka Jovic will also be absent following a positive COVID-19 test.
However, there was better news with Casemiro and Eder Militao available for selection against the 15th-placed Alaves.
“When sides play against Madrid they come out giving their all and that means we need to be at 150 percent in order to win, and if we can be at the same level as them physically then our quality can make the difference,” Zidane added.
