Zinedine Zidane has challenged Real Madrid’s forward trio Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, known as BBC to turn around the club’s poor record against Clasico rivals Barcelona, especially against the ruthless trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, also known as the MSN..
Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo are all in line to play in today’s showdown at Camp Nou, although Madrid have lost each of the three previous matches against Barca when they have been able to field the star triumvirate.
Their on-field exploits have, while impressive, generally paled in comparison to Barcelona’s formidable combination of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, (MSN) over the past 18 months.
Zidane has called on ‘BBC’ to outshine ‘MSN’ and help Madrid reverse the form book against their bitter rivals.
“Tomorrow is the day to change that and we will try,” said Zidane.
Ronaldo made headlines after missing a penalty in his side’s 4-0 drubbing of Sevilla in Madrid’s last outing before the international break, but after scoring for Portugal in midweek, Zidane insists the 31-year-old is heading into Saturday’s affair in good spirits.
Zidane does not believe his players have any revenge on their minds today.
Madrid were thrashed 4-0 by their great rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu in November, a result that hastened the downfall of Zidane’s predecessor Rafael Benitez.
Zidane has overseen five straight wins in all competitions since February’s 1-0 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid but accepts facing a Barcelona side 10 points better off than his own at the top of La Liga represents a significant challenge.
“The players know perfectly well what happened [in the previous Clasico],” the Frenchman told his pre-match news conference. “Revenge? No, it’s just a game we want to win.
“We’re on a good run, playing well lately. We keep doing our work. I want to see my team playing as they have been doing lately.
“I will sleep the same as always tonight. I will enjoy tomorrow – my first Barca-Madrid match as a coach. I want to enjoy it.