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Real Madrid are gearing up to face Real Betis on Saturday as they look set to continue their march towards the La Liga title.
Los Blancos are currently second in La Liga, three points behind Atletico Madrid at the top of the table. Zinedine Zidane will be aware that his side cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to win the league at the end of the season.
With that in mind, here is the latest Real Madrid news on 23rd April, 2021.
Zinedine Zidane ready for Real Betis clash
Zinedine Zidane is confident in Real Madrid's ability to come away with all three points against Real Betis on Saturday.
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The Frenchman told the media:
"We’re ready to put on a good performance and we want to help playing in the same way. We’re up against a good team. We know who we’re up against and we’ll have to be at our best to pick up the three points. That’s what we’ll aim to do. The league is always difficult. I’ve always said La Liga is very competitive, there are 38 games and it's not easy. It hasn't changed, it's been one of the best leagues in my opinion for a long time. We're going to try to win it anyway."
Real Madrid squad update
When asked about his squad ahead of Saturday's clash, Zinedine Zidane informed the media that Belgian superstar Eden Hazard will be making his return from injury against Real Betis.
The Real Madrid manager explained:
"Kroos is going to be out and Modric is back. One piece of bad news and one piece of good news. Hazard is in the squad, another piece of good news."
The Frenchman also provided updates about the status of Sergio Ramos and Ferland Mendy. Here's what he said about the Real Madrid captain:
"I think he’s in a good state of mind. He had some difficulties and now he’s much better. Now he’s back training on the pitch but not with the group just yet. He will be soon. We always want him to be involved. He’s recovering slowly and he’s a few sessions away."
Zidane is also more confident about Mendy's return. He told the media:
“He won’t be available for tomorrow. We have to go slowly. I hope he’s with us on Tuesday, but he won’t be tomorrow. It won’t be long, it’s a matter of days."
Zinedine Zidane coy about his future at Real Madrid
When asked about his future at Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane gave nothing away, insisting that he was more concerned with the task at hand. He told the media:
"I'm concerned about the daily routine and I don't know what's going to happen in a month's time. Those of us who are involved in this project want to finish the season well and then we'll talk about the future. We’re focused on our day-to-day work and mainly on tomorrow's game."
