Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said, Friday, that his neighbor Atletico Madrid is one of the main
favorites to win the Spanish League title this season, before the Madrid derby on Saturday.
Atletico Madrid are top of the competition and remain the only team that has not suffered a loss this
season after ten matches, with 26 points out of a possible 30.
Ahead of the summit match, Atletico are six points ahead of Real Madrid, who have played 11 games.
Zidane acknowledged that his team’s poor start to the season meant that his rivals Atletico, led by coach
Diego Simeone had become one of the leading favorites for the title.
“Of course, he has become one of the most prominent candidates,” Zidane was quoted by Reuters as saying
at a press conference on the eve of El Clásico.
“Atletico shows it clearly on the field, is top in the league, playing great form We know them well.
“We want to win every match, especially the summit match, which is a great occasion and won the league
last year, and we want to defend the title and we will do that until the end,” the French coach added.
The French coach praised Atletico midfielder, Marcos Llorente.
The 25-year-old graduated from Real Madrid’s youth sector before joining his rivals in the city in 2019.
Zidane said, “I am not surprised by his performance, as he is a high-class player, and he is performing better than
they were at Real Madrid. We always knew he was a talented player and he was happier with his progress.”
Zidane, who welcomed the return of captain Sergio Ramos in Wednesday’s victory in the Champions League over
Borussia Moenchengladbach added that midfielder Federico Valverde and full-back Danny Carvajal are close
to returning to the starting line-up.
But the defending champion will miss the efforts of the attacking trio, Eden Hazard, Lukayovic, and Mariano Diaz,
as well as midfielder Martin Odegaard
