Prior to the Villareal game, Barcelona were 9 points clear of Atletico and 10 ahead of Madrid, but the Madrid sides clawed their lead, and could overtake Barcelona if they both win tonight.
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Los Blancos host Villareal at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, and it won’t be an easy game.
“At that point it was more complicated”.
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“There are always hard moments in the season, but that does not mean anything because they are still first”. We are fighting to be in the Champions League.
Zinedine Zidane has attempted to calm the euphoria surrounding Real Madrid by warning there is still a long way to go before they can celebrate any silverware.
Carlos Queiroz was sacked as Real Madrid manager in 2004.
Zidane believes Barca and Atleti are still in the driving seat, but challenged his team to win their remaining five matches to give themselves the best possible chance of a first league title since 2012. “I can assure you of that – we will work hard”.
“I hope he will be back with us for the next game”.
AS also spoke to ex-Madrid striker Javier Portillo, who was a young backup striker in Queiroz’s 2003-04 squad.
“We should never lose faith and we have to keep going, win all the games we have left and fight for the trophies”, said the Costa Rican. We missed Tomas Pina, we missed Ruiz and/or Musacchio.
“I don’t know if he played (golf), I don’t think he did, but independently of that, he had a discomfort at the back (of the leg), a strain and he won’t play tomorrow”, said Zidane.
Asked about Barcelona’s three league losses – their worst run in La Liga for 13 years – Zidane responded: “I’m not thinking about that”.
Villarreal have won only one of their last seven games away from home in La Liga (D4 L2).
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Ex-Barcelona striker Hristo Stoichkov is confident his former club will retain their Liga title at the expense of Real Madrid, whose title prowess he doubts.
