Zidane: "This is the Champions League, we want to put in a good performance and win"

NEWS | 10/12/2019 | Alberto Navarro (Brujas) | PHOTOGRAPHER: A. Villalba/Helios de la Rubia

"It'll be tough because Brugge are looking to qualify in third place, but our reputation is on the line", he added.

Zinedine Zidane spoke to the press gathered inside the media room at the Jan Breydel Stadium on the eve of his side's final Champions League group-stage game as Brugge host Real Madrid (Wednesday, 9pm CET). The Whites' boss previewed the encounter in the following terms: "The message is always the same and that's that we want to put in a good performance. That's all there is to it. I don't like friendly games. It's a Champions League game and our reputation is on the line. We always want to play good football and keep our good run going. Not on account of the result, which is down to our good performances, but because we want to play well and do things properly. If we don’t approach it in that way, things will go badly".

"It'll be a really tough game. Brugge are playing to qualify for the Europa League as the third-placed team, but for us it's a Champions League game and not a friendly. That's why we want to win it, but we know just what a quality side the opposition are. We're ready. Some of them will play, now is their time".

Learning the ropes as a coach at Brugge
"I've got good memories. It's a club that played a big part in my development".

Benzema
"He's here with us and you'll see tomorrow how we line up. Karim has the ambition to always want to be in the team and play".

Benzema has the ambition to always want to be in the team and play.

"I don't think they'll need to operate on [Eden] Hazard, but I don't know exactly. His injury is under control and I hope that it's less serious than expected. The main thing for him is to be patient and I hope to have him back with us soon".

Casemiro
"We know just how important he is and that he's had a lot of game time, but a coach has to name his squad and think about a particular game. We know how important he is, but there are also many other players who've played a lot of football and that includes those who've played games with their national teams".

El Clásico
"I don't know anything about El Clásico and the only thing that I and everyone else is interested in is tomorrow night's game. The only thing in our heads is tomorrow's game. Everything else will come in time and there'll be time to take about that".

"There are some things that you can't control. The only thing we can control is the football. There are a lot of opinions and I'm not going to get involved in that. After this game we have three more matches before the end of the year, but right now the most important game is tomorrow night's".

Have you ever felt scared before playing a game?
"I've never been scared on a football pitch. I've never felt that way when the game starts. I've never felt afraid of playing when we're on the pitch, never".

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