This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has called on his team to adopt a World Cup mentality for the remainder of the La Liga season, which is set to conclude on July 19.
With 11 games left, Real Madrid are two points behind Barcelona and will return to action after a three-month break against Eibar on Sunday at their new training ground home, the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium.
La Liga matches are being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, although league president Javier Tebas has suggested that stadiums could be allowed to be 10 to 15 percent full before the end of the season.
“I like the comparison, I buy into it,” Zidane said. “My players know what it’s like to play in the final stages of a World Cup or European Championship. The important thing is the preparation and I think we have prepared very, very well. Our first match starts tomorrow and we will give everything. I have faith what we have done with the players and now we have to show it on the field.”
Real Madrid are playing at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium to allow renovation work to continue at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, with a capacity of only 6,000.
“My players want to play in front of an audience and right now, there isn’t one,” Zidane said. “But if those in charge say we can, well then we’ll see. I have been a player and I prefer to play with fans. But it is not an excuse, we are going to play well.”
