Zidane expects tough fixtures in UAE

CAIRO – 12 December 2017: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane told press on Monday that he knows his team will face tough clashes at the FIFA Club World Cup.

“It will not be easy and last year we had a lot of problems before we managed to win it, there will not be easy games and for just being Real Madrid we are not going to win,” Zidane said.

Real Madrid faces Emirati Al Jazira on Wednesday at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Al Jazira qualified to the semi-finals after defeating Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds 1-0 on Saturday.

Zidane spoke about Madrid’s heavily loaded calendar, saying, “we have time to prepare for the game; there are no excuses. This is the calendar, and whoever we face, we need to look at doing what we have to do well.”

Real Madrid defeated Sevilla on Saturday 5-0 at the Spanish League before flying to play on Wednesday at the FIFA Club World Cup.