Sports

Zidane treating Inter Milan duel as a ‘final’

Madrid, Nov 2 (efe-epa).- Zinedine Zidane on Monday said Real Madrid would approach their Champions League group game against Inter Milan this week “like a final”.

Neither team has got their European campaign off the ground this season, with Madrid losing their two opening games to Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach and Milan drawing with both.

Madrid will be desperate to win at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium on Tuesday evening and could be slightly buoyed by their 4-1 victory against Huesca on Sunday evening as Milan drew with Parma.

“We know the rival well and it’s a difficult game against a very physical team that plays good football. It is going to be difficult for us, we’re looking at it like a final. There are three points at play and we’ll try to secure them,” Madrid head coach Zidane told a pre-match press conference on Monday.

“All the groups are very good and competitive, ours as well. Each match is difficult to win,” he added.

Los Blancos will be relieved to have Eden Hazard available again. The Belgian scored one against Huesca. Karim Benzema scored two and Fede Valverde bagged the other on Sunday.

“We know the quality Eden has and we are going to use it,” Zidane said.

Zidane believes the trio of Hazard, Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema could become a defining cocktail for the club.

“The players always want to make history, and they are three important players already doing things for the team,” he said.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League last year by Manchester City but Zidane insisted they had not lost their edge in the competition, which was dominated by the team from the Spanish capital for years.

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