Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is two goals away from equaling Alfredo Di Stefano and Santiago Bernabeu records for goals scored against local rivals, Atletico Madrid, and Zinedine Zidane believes his side will benefit from the player’s “positive energy.”
Club legends, Stefano and Bernabeu currently lead the derby scoring charts with 17 goals apiece, but Ronaldo is closing in with his 15 in 25 appearances.
Ronaldo has scored seven goals in 12 outings in all competitions so far. This is relatively poor compared to last season.
The 31-year-old heads into Saturday’s derby at the Vicente Calderon on the back of two goals in Portugal’s 4-1 victory over Latvia on Sunday, a development that must have motivated him.
But he has not scored in the last six matches between the two sides.
Ahead of the Saturday’s game, Zidane told a news conference, “Ronaldo always wants more.
“There’s no anxiety there.
“It’s contagious, his positive energy. I want Ronaldo to always be that prepared.”
Last season, Atleti held Madrid to a 1-1 at the Calderon before beaten them 1-0 at home in their two La Liga meetings.
And Zidane added, “We analyse our opponents and we try to find ways of getting in behind them, causing them problems.
“They know how we play and we expect a tough game, but it’s tough for both.
“I think it’ll be a great game to take part in, to play. Defeats hurt, but I’m looking ahead to Saturday not back to that loss [last season].
“It’s another game. I don’t look at it as a test. It’s perfectly poised. Either team could win. It’s 50-50.
“I think it’s going to be intense from start to finish. We expect a tough game. We’re used to tough games but tomorrow will be even tougher.”
Comments