Zinedine Zidane has warned his Real Madrid side they cannot
afford to be distracted by the prospect of facing Chelsea in the Champions
League semi- finals while their La Liga fate hangs in the balance.
The Spanish champions put the seal on a thoroughly satisfying
week by advancing to the last four of a competition they have won three times
already under the management of the legendary Frenchman. Leading 3-1 from last
week’s first leg,
Real survived an early onslaught at Anfield but ultimately
qualified comfortably following a goalless stalemate on Merseyside.
Thomas
Tuchel’s rapidly improving Chelsea now lie in wait, but with three crucial
league games to play before the first leg on home soil, Zidane knows his squad
cannot afford to be side-tracked.
‘We’ve
got a number of LaLiga games to play before we face Chelsea, but it’s going to
be a very tough tie,’ said Zidane, who masterminded last Saturday’s 2-1 win
over Barcelona which saw his side move to within a single point of current
Spanish league leaders Atletico Madrid.
Zidane
has encountered heavy criticism throughout the course of a testing season and
was said to be on the brink of losing his job earlier in the campaign with Real
lagging behind in La Liga and on the brink of an embarrassing Champions League
group stage exit.
As
the campaign draws to a conclusion, however, Zidane has his side perfectly
positioned for an all-out assault on the two biggest prizes on offer, but
remained diplomatic when asked if had a message for his detractors following
Wednesday’s match.
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