[ad_1]
Reuters / Sergio Perez
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said his neighbor, Atlético de Madrid, is one of the main candidates for the Spanish soccer championship title this season.
“Of course, he has become one of the most prominent candidates,” Zidan said during a news conference on Friday.
Atlético leads the LaLiga standings, with 26 points out of a possible 30, and is the only team that has not suffered a defeat this season after ten games.
While Real Madrid occupies the fourth place in the ranking with 20 points, after 11 games.
Zidane acknowledged that his team’s poor start to the season means that his rival, Atlético, led by Argentine coach Diego Simeone, has become one of the main favorites for the title.
“Atlético clearly shows it on the pitch, they are leading the league and delivering great performances. We know them well.”
He added: “We want to win every game, especially the summit game, which is a great occasion. We won the league last year, and we want to defend the title and we will do it until the end.”
The French coach praised the 25-year-old Atlético Marcos Llorente midfielder, who played in the Real Madrid youth category, before joining rivals in the city in 2019.
Zidane said: “I am not surprised by his performance as he is a high caliber player who offers better levels than at Real Madrid. We always knew he was a talented player and he was happier with his progress.
Zidane, who welcomed the return of captain Sergio Ramos in Wednesday’s Champions League win over Borussia Moenchengladbach, added that midfielder Federico Valverde and full-back Danny Carvajal are close to returning to the starting lineup.
Reigning champion Real Madrid will miss the efforts of Belgian attacking trio Eden Hazard, Serbian Luka Jovic and Dominican Mariano Díaz, as well as Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard.
Source: Reuters
[ad_2]
