Real Madrid’s priority this season is to retain their La Liga crown, according to boss Zinedine Zidane.
The Frenchman guided the club to last season’s league title as they went on a ten-game winning streak after the resumption of Spanish football in June, wrapping up the trophy with a game to spare before drawing their final match against Leganes.
It was just the third time that Los Blancos had lifted the trophy since 2008, with Zidane also leading them to success in the 2016/17 campaign.
They finished last season five points clear of Barcelona and a whopping 17 from Atletico Madrid in third, but this season the top of the table has a different complexion.
Real Madrid news is now no longer focused on title talk as the club are sitting in fourth in La Liga and will go nine points behind Atleti – who have played a game less – in this weekend’s Madrid derby.
Zidane told his pre-match press conference, in quotes carried by Marca: “What we want in each game is to show that we are the team that we are without thinking that we are going to win La Liga.
“We want to win each game because we are competitors and to play a great game, and also to remember that we are the champions of La Liga and we want to defend what we won last year. We are going to do that until the end. I am convinced of our dedication in each game.”
Speaking specifically of Saturday’s clash, Zidane added: “As always, in a game there are many things. We had a good game in the Champions League and we want to think about tomorrow, a good game, a derby, we want to play because we like these games.
“The first thing is to play the game to show what we are as teams. It is a game to enjoy and give everything in, not one to think about what may happen next. They are players who can do extraordinary things and we think only about that.”
