Real hit the road

> … as they try to narrow Barca’s lead

REAL MADRID find themselves seven points behind leaders Barcelona going into the weekend round of La Liga matches, with Barca’s Leo Messi having scored the same amount of goals (nine) on his own this season as Real have managed as a team.

“This result changes nothing for us,” coach Zinedine Zidane said after a 1-0 home defeat to Betis yesterday trying to play down the stumbling start to the season.

There was even a visit from the president, Florentino Perez, in the dressing room after the match.

“He wanted to lift the players’ spirits, they needed it,” Zidane added ahead of tomorrow’s visit to Alaves.

The defeat to Betis made it three home games without a win for the champions who currently lie seventh in the table. And midfielder Isco suggested relief that they find themselves playing away from home this weekend.

“When we are playing at the Bernabeu if we don’t score a goal early on then we start to get anxious,” the Spain international admitted.

“We really went for it at the end of the game and then we conceded a goal that we did not deserve. Now the most important thing is that we all stick together.”

Zidane will not have all his players available for the trip to last season’s Copa del Rey finalists. Leftbacks Marcelo and Theo Hernandez look set to miss the game with hamstring and shoulder injuries respectively.

He is still missing Karim Benzema from attack and may call upon 20-year-old Borja Mayoral again to lead the line alongside Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rivals Alaves have endured a disastrous start to the season, losing their first five games and sacking coach Luis Zubeldia.

They should provide respite for Madrid looking to avoid slipping further behind Barcelona who go to neighbours Girona in the first Catalan derby in the top flight in the two clubs’ history.

Girona have already taken a point off of Atletico Madrid and beaten Malaga in their Municipal de Montilivi stadium.

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde is expected to recall Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez who watched the 6-1 demolition of Eibar in midweek from the bench.

Valverde must decide if he is to leave summer signing Paulinho in the starting lineup after he scored against Eibar to make it two goals in as many games.

The former Tottenham midfielder said after the match: “I am very grateful for the way I have been received at Barcelona. I just want to help the team and of course if I can do that scoring goals then even better. I don’t feel I have to prove anything to my critics I just need to convince my teammates and the supporters and the best way to do that is to play well.”

There is political backdrop to the Catalan derby with a planned referendum on independence for the region from the Spanish state planned for Oct 1.

The Spanish government has declared the referendum illegal and took steps this week to prevent it happening by arresting a prominent Catalan politician Josep Maria Jove, and seizing notifications before they could be sent out to citizens called on to man polling booths.

Both Barcelona and Girona issued statements on the issue yesterday, calling on central government to respect the political liberty of the people of the region.

Elsewhere in La Liga Sevilla host Atletico in a battle between the sides currently lying third and second behind Barcelona in the table.

It is the second game to be played in Atletico’s new Wanda Metropolitano stadium after their inaugural 1-0 win over Malaga.

This weekend’s other fixtures are: Malaga vs Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol vs Deportivo la Coruna, Getafe vs Villarreal, Las Palmas vs Leganes, Eibar vs Celta, Real Sociedad vs Valencia and Betis vs Levante.

– dpa