Real Madrid Coach Zinedine Zidane admits “we’ll suffer at some points of the game” against Napoli.
The Partenopei face the Champions League holders tomorrow, as the sides vie for a place in the Quarter-Finals.
“Napoli have good players and a very mobile forward line,” Zidane pointed out in his pre-match Press conference.
“They’re very intense and quick, technically very strong and they have the weapons to hurt us. We’ll see who does better.
Real Madrid Coach Zinedine Zidane admits “we’ll suffer at some points of the game” against Napoli.
The Partenopei face the Champions League holders tomorrow, as the sides vie for a place in the Quarter-Finals.
“Napoli have good players and a very mobile forward line,” Zidane pointed out in his pre-match Press conference.
“They’re very intense and quick, technically very strong and they have the weapons to hurt us. We’ll see who does better.
“They play at a high pace and we know that we’ll suffer at some points of the game, we can’t let ourselves get exposed on the counter-attack.
“But we also need to think about what we’re going to do…”
It was suggested that the game was the ‘first final’ on the way to retaining the Champions League, something no club has ever managed since it replaced the European Cup.
“No, it’s not a final. It’s a big game, but the final is in Cardiff. There will also be the return leg, and we’ll need to be careful because Napoli are good, they play well and they can cause us problems.
“It’s a difficult competition to win, because if you win a difficult tie, that can make you start thinking you’ll win but it’s not like that.
“Everyone wants to win, it’s a long process.”
Two seasons ago, Napoli Coach Maurizio Sarri was at Empoli, now he’ll be in the Bernabeu dugout…
“He’s doing well,” Zidane said.
“He’s someone who makes his teams play well, he’s proposing a great style.
“Diego Maradona? With all due respect for Maradona, who I watched when I was 14, I have more fear about those on the pitch than off it.
“What I expect is a good match.”
Finally, ‘Zizou’ was asked about his time in Serie A, as a player with Juventus.
“I grew up a lot as a player in Italy. At Juve, just like at Real Madrid, you have to battle until the last minute. I learned a lot.
“Now I’m at the biggest club in the world and I’m growing as a Coach.”