Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane refused to rule out deploying a player to man-mark Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League last-16 first leg game at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Asked if he would replicate a tactic used against Lionel Messi in the Clasico last December, Zidane said: “I don’t think I should tell you. We will see tomorrow .”
Pressed on the threat posed by Neymar and how he currently matches up to Cristiano Ronaldo, Zidane defended his talisman saying: ‘Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards and I am not going to compare them at this moment. Everything that Neymar does on the pitch is of great quality and he can make the difference but they are two great players and this is Real Madrid v PSG not Neymar v Cristiano.”
Asked about the pressure of a game that will decide the fate of Madrid’s season and his own future as Real Madrid coach, Zidane added: “We don’t have any added pressure. We live for this. The players live for this. The people want to see a great game.
“I am not thinking about my future. I’m concentrating on this game. I am focusing on making sure we do well in this game.
“This is not a final. We have to play good football. If you play good football with the players that we have then we have a good chance.”
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