Zinedine Zidane has declined to be accused of claims that Real Madrid’s schedule is unfair, as the club has almost half the recovery time between La Liga games next week compared to title rival Barcelona .
The clubs are side by side at the top of the table, level on points but with Real Madrid leading thanks to their head-to-head advantage, with eight games to play.
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Zidane’s team will have just 62 hours to recover after playing Getafe on July 2 before facing Athletic Bilbao on July 5, while Barça will have a 118-hour break between playing against Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal. .
“I will not be involved,” Zidane said at a press conference ahead of Madrid’s game with Mallorca in danger of relegation on Wednesday. “One day they are the schedules, one day they are the referees. Everyone does their job. I will do mine, which is quite difficult.”
Throughout the seven sets of start times that have been announced so far (days 28-34), Barcelona will have had a total of 30 hours of extra rest between games compared to Real Madrid.
Clubs and players had been told to expect a minimum of 72 hours of rest between games when football returned, and Real Madrid have now complained to La Liga about their schedule.
“In the end, the calendar is what it is,” said Zidane. “I have my opinion, but it will not change anything. The only thing we have to think about is resting. We are playing 11 games in a short time. We have to focus on recovery.”
Madrid’s title chances have been fueled by Isco’s early return from injury.
The 28-year-old midfielder was expected to be absent for six games with a hamstring problem diagnosed last week, but now it seems likely he will miss just two.
“It is less serious than we thought and it is good news for us,” said Zidane. “Isco will be with us tomorrow.”
The French coach declined to confirm whether two other key players, winger Eden Hazard and captain Sergio Ramos, would be involved.
Hazard impressed in Real Madrid’s first two games, but was an unused substitute in Real Sociedad’s 2-1 victory on Sunday, while Ramos scored a penalty kick before retiring with a minor knee problem.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” said Zidane. “There are many games in a few days. Recovery is important. Here we go every day. We will see tomorrow what we will do.”
After facing Martin Odegaard on Sunday, the game with Mallorca will see Madrid take on another of their talented youngsters on loan, 19-year-old winger Take Kubo.
“What he’s been doing is good,” said Zidane. “He is playing regularly, which is what we all want. He is a really good player for the present and the future. I am happy with his season. We will decide later what we will do with Kubo next year.”
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