Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has cranked up the pressure on his players by warning them they can not afford to drop any more points in the league if they want to catch Barcelona.
Los Blancos visit Granada this weekend and will look to continue their good recent form since the Frenchman took over – they have won three and drawn one, scoring 17 goals along the way, in the four games under Zidane.
But their last trip on the road at Betis ended in a disappointing draw – something that the boss says can not happen again.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Zidane said Granada are a better team than their league position of 19th suggests and his players would have to be at their best,
He stated: “It is a difficult game against a strong opponent. We must begin the game strongly. We must do things differently than against Betis. We cannot drop more points. Only a win is any good for us.”
Zidane added: “We know they will come out strong. Against Betis we were not ready and when they score a quick goal against you it is more difficult. With the quality we have we can win the game. The key is to use that quality from the first minute. If we begin the game strongly, as we do at the Bernabeu, everything is easier.”
Quizzed whether he has started to turn his attention to the Roma game in the Champions League, the 1998 World Cup winner commented: “No, we will go with everything now in La Liga, we have time to prepare for the Champions League.”