Zidane urges Real Madrid to summon El Clasico spirit in bid to overhaul Champions League deficit
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has urged his side to be inspired by their El Clasico comeback when they bid to overturn a first-leg deficit and reach the Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
The Spanish side were heavy favourites to progress to the last four of the competition but came unstuck in Germany last week, losing 2-0 to a side languishing mid-table in the Bundesliga.
That match came just four days after Real produced a remarkable turnaround to defeat reigning champions Barcelona at Camp Nou, despite being down to 10 men following Sergio Ramos’s dismissal.
“We were 13 points behind Barcelona when they scored against us, now it is four,” said Zidane. “Anything is possible in football, that is its beauty. The club has produced extraordinary comebacks before, here at the Bernabeu.”
Real will need to score a minimum of three goals on the night to progress without the need for penalties, while any away goal for Wolfsburg would leave the odds stacked against the 10-time champions of Europe.
“We know that we have got a better chance if we keep a clean sheet,” added Zidane. “But more than anything else, we have just got to play our game. It’s going to be an intense game, we’re going to fight, we’re going to run but most important is playing football.
“We have to play this game with our heads. We’re not going to win this game in 10 or 15 minutes, whatever happens, whether they score or we score.”