Julen Lopetegui: ‘Convinced’ I’ll be Real Madrid’s Coach for Clasico

Julen Lopetegui is ‘optimistic’ Marcelo will face Barcelona in the Clasico and ‘convinced’ he will remain Real Madrid’s Coach for the trip to Camp Nou.

“Marcelo took a heavy whack and we’ll see once it cools down,” said the Coach after Los Blancos ended their five-game winless streak on Tuesday, beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Champions League.

“It’ll all become clear in 48 hours, but I'm optimistic. We failed to kill the game off by scoring more goals.

“We had many chances to add to our tally, but the team came from where they came from and if they don’t score then nerves appear.

“We wanted to win and play well, and at times we deserved more, but we’re in a dynamic where we have trouble scoring and we must accept it.

“We prioritised getting three points and ending a run that went on for too long. We created plenty of chances to score, some of them very clear-cut.

“It’s hard for us to score at the moment. I think we’ve hit the woodwork 12 times in the last four games and tonight, despite ending the game with some concern over the scoreboard, not how we played, the points are important.

“We’ve stopped the dynamis of not winning taken a step forward. Now we have to keep winning and grow calmly.

“Still Coach for the Clasico? That’s not for me to answer, but yes I’m convinced I will be. We’re thinking about preparations for Sunday’s game, which is very important, and we’ll go to Camp Nou with a lot of ambition.”

Tags Clasico Julen Lopetegui Viktoria Plzen
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