Pursuit of history galvanises Real: Zidane Ribery issues Bayern battle cry
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE French boss believes that the team’s chase for a third successive title will provide extra motivation
MADRID: The possibility of reaching a third straight Champions League final is “galvanising” Real Madrid for their semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, Zinedine Zidane told a press conference on Monday.
“It’s an extra motivation,” the Real Madrid coach said.
“What drives this club is to try to do the maximum, all of us, to regret nothing,” he said.
Real is at home on Tuesday and leads 2-1 after the away leg.
“If we execute well with desire and motivation we have a great chance of reaching our objective.”
Sergio Ramos, the Real captain, added that the chance to play in a third final was “reward for all our work, our perseverance”.
“We are making seem easy what is practically impossible. No one has won two in a row,” he said, which hasn’t happened since 1990, before the competition was enlarged switched a to a group format. “What motivates us, is to keep breaking records and winning titles.
“One of the strengths of Real is that opponents are not all the same and we study them carefully to learn how to hurt them,” Ramos explained.
“At 1-1 in the first leg, Bayern had to chase a victory and we knew we could do damage on the conter-attack. We would have liked to score more, but the result was good. The scenario tomorrow is very similar, the other team must overcome a bad result and we will try to exploit that. I hope we stay committed in defence.”
While Ramos, the defender, emphasised defence, his boss talked of attack.
“The key is to try to win the match,” Zidane said. “Not to retreat and not to do anything stupid. We must try to score quickly. “Bayern will not be worried,” he said. “They will come to play without inhibitions. We must be ready.
‘NOTHING WON YET’
While Real are still chasing the Champions League, their chief Spanish rival, Barcelona, completed the Spanish domestic dou- ble on Sunday, clinching the league title to go with their cup victory.
Sergio Ramos and Zidane were asked which achievement was greater.
“Barcelona deserved to be a champion, we have to congratu- in a similar position to last year's quarterfinals, when Real knocked them out. After losing the first leg 2-1 in Munich, they won by the same margin over 90 been rested on several occasions leading to key Champions League fixtures this season, including their last game against Leganes on Saturday. This has allowed the 33-year-old to recuperate and be fresh for the European contests where he has scored 15 times already, just two shy of the all-time best record set by him in 2014. Considering he could not get on the score sheet in the first-leg, a rested Ronaldo will be raring to get his name on the score sheet. late them, nothing more,” said Zidane. “We have not won anything yet, they have won two trophies and have had a great season. We do not minimise what they have done, but what interests us is what we’re going to do.”
Ramos could not resist a dig. minutes in Madrid only to bow out 6-3 on aggregate after losing 4-2 after extra time. The last time the two teams met in the semifinals was in 2014, when Real thrashed Bayern 5-0 over two legs.
numerous occasions this season looked rather shaky at the Bernabeu with the most recent scare coming in their second-leg quarterfinal against
Juventus. They have conceded a total of 31 goals across all competitions at the Bernabeu this campaign. Even in the Spanish league, three of their five losses and four of their eight draws this season have come at home; meaning they have dropped 17 points in Madrid. They were also knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Leganes at home.
“Barca have done the double and that’s a good year for them,” he said. “But winning the Champions League, that’s worth two titles, maybe more.”
Against Leganes on Saturday, Zidane coached his 200th match (57 with Real’s reserves and 143 in
twice at home, Bayern will have to score at least two goals at the Santiago Bernabeu to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
score twice and manage to restrict Real, they will injury victims Manuel Neuer, Kingsley Coman and Arturo Vidal, Bayern will be without Arjen Robben and
Jerome
Boateng, who suffered from groin injuries in the first-leg.
The good news for the visitors, though, will be the return of
(in pic) and Javi Martinez with the former expected to take over at left-back from Rafinha. Dani
Carvajal will be missing for Real. 12:15am (Wed), Real Madrid v Bayern Munich, live on Sony Ten 2 & HD charge of the club).
He was asked how has he improved. “Of course I have a little more experience, but experience of big moments, because I experienced them last year,” he said. “There are tons of coaches more competent than I am. But I go through. If Bayern manage to score more than two, Real will have to beat them by at least one goal. The match will go to extra-time only if it ends 2-1 in favour of the visitors. have experience of being there and of the changing room.”
Ramos said he had no choice but to sound as if he was giving in to flattery. “The results speak for themselves,” he said. “He is a great coach, we are proud that he is captaining this ship.” BERLIN: Franck Ribery has issued a battle cry before Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg at Real Madrid where Bayern Munich know they must be ruthless in front of goal to stage an unlikely comeback.
Bayern have it all to do at the Santiago Bernabeu after wasting several chances in last week’s 2-1 first-leg loss in Munich.
“The battle is lost, but the war is not over,” the Frenchman wrote on Twitter, borrowing from the famous Charles de Gaulle quote. “We will get our chances in Madrid.”
The 35-year-old Ribery was one of the few Bayern stars to shine in the defeat at the Allianz Arena. He stumbled at the crucial moment in a one-on-one with Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas in the first half before Marcelo equalised for Real.
Ribery wreaked havoc on the left wing and also forced Navas into an excellent second-half save. The winger and his Bayern team-mates fly to Madrid on Monday vowing to upset the odds.
“We’ll give it everything we have,” insisted Bayern left-back David Alaba, back from injury.
On Saturday, Ribery was among a host of players rested as a weakened Bayern team beat their i ncoming coach Niko Kovac’s Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1.
Sandro Wagner scored in the Bundesliga victory and pinpointed how Bayern can win in Madrid.
Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes dubbed the striker ‘a fighter’ and Wagner could get the chance to be on the end of Ribery’s crosses at the Bernabeu.
“I think Real were all at sea defending every cross, so we know what we have to do,” said Wagner, the back-up for topscorer Robert Lewandowski.
“We all want revenge and have all vowed to give it absolutely everything in Madrid.”
The match could be Ribery’s last chance to show his trademark sprints with the ball at his feet on the European stage.