Real Madrid vs Getafe - Zidane not giving up on LaLiga title just yet

Posted Saturday, March 03, 2018 by PA

Zinedine Zidane insisted Real Madrid are fighting for the LaLiga title despite a 15-point deficit to Barcelona.

Real, who are also 10 points behind city rivals Atletico, suffered another shock defeat on Tuesday against Espanyol and will look to make amends against Getafe on Saturday.

That is followed by the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Paris St Germain, but Zidane is not prioritising the trip to the French capital.

Real Madrid vs Getafe - Zidane not giving up on LaLiga title just yet — Zinedine Zidane has not given up on the league (Mike Egerton/PA)

He said on realmadrid.com: “You think that the league is over for us but football is like that and every league match is important. The title will go down to the wire and we’ll fight until the end. It’s difficult but not impossible. I’m an optimist until the end.

“We’re angry about losing on Tuesday and I’m even more so after Barcelona’s draw yesterday (against Las Palmas). You have to be focused until the very last minute and we’re not giving in.”

Zidane will have defender Marcelo back from a hamstring problem but midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric remain sidelined and may not even recover in time for Tuesday.

⚽🔙💪 @MarceloM12and @JesusVallejo are back training with the rest of the group!#RMCity pic.twitter.com/v4n9xaHjmB

— Real Madrid C.F.🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@realmadriden) March 1, 2018

“We want to do all we can to get the win and leave everything on the field,” said Zidane of the Getafe clash. “We have to put everything into tomorrow’s game.

“We’re coming up against teams who are really motivated and fully focused. For a lot of them it’s the biggest game of the year and we must approach it the same.

“We have to play well tomorrow and then we’ll have time to turn our attention to Tuesday. We have to win games to hope we’ll win something at the end of the season. If we always go out with a winning mentality, motivated and always thinking about the next game, we can achieve something.”

FT: @RCDEspanyol 1-0 #RealMadrid (Gerard 90''+3'').#RMLiga pic.twitter.com/lURJdSPfzd

— Real Madrid C.F.🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@realmadriden) February 27, 2018

Mid-table Getafe will be no pushovers. They recently held Barcelona to a goalless draw at the Nou Camp and beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-0 on Wednesday.

Manager Jose Bordalas is expecting a wounded Real, saying on getafecf.com: “We always think about making a good game, but we know that to get something from there you have to touch perfection.

“Real Madrid is one of the best teams in the world; we are aware of what we are and the difficulty of the match. Surely they can not afford to reap a second defeat, therefore, they will be a very dangerous team.”