First team

SAMPAOLI: "WE ALWAYS LOOK TO GIVE 100% AND TOMORROW WE'LL NEED MORE THAN THAT"

13/05/2017

The boss informed the press that a number of his players are ruled out through injury and others will be doubts until late on

Jorge Sampaoli spoke to the media before the final training session of the week, which will take place before the team travel to Madrid this evening. Asked if last Wednesday's Champions League second leg at the Calderón could affect the match in any way, the Argentine was clear: "It doesn't influence us. If does influence them in terms of their mindset. Right now they're the best team in the world, they're in the Champions League final and are playing for the league in these remaining matches. We're going to need a very good evening against a side going through an important spell".

He recognised that Madrid aren't the best team to need a point against to secure fourth place, but you can't control the fixture schedule: "They're the side we've got to face and I don't know if they'll be the right one, but they're the side we need to beat. We'll try to secure qualification over and above the opponent, trying with what we can offer to secure that outcome".

Knowing that it will be tough, Sampaoli made it clear that his side will try to get third place as long as it's possible: "We'll look for everything that mathematically allows you to dream and be hopeful. We're always looking for the team to give 100% and tomorrow we'll need more than that. You never know what could happen, but it's clear that today it's further away than it was in previous weeks".

He also added that he's not thinking about taking the title away from Real Madrid, but getting three important points: "We'd get satisfaction from winning for ourselves and settling a season that's been very good and in which we've been in the top four for 33 matches, even fighting for the title for a number of them. If we win we'll enjoy it for ourselves, not because of the opponent".

"If we win, we'll enjoy it for ourselves, not because of the opponent"

Analysing Zidane's side, he didn't want to get into whether he'd rather play against a full-strength side or one with a number of rotations: "They're a team that have managed as a group, with rotation, not to drop their performance level. Their significant rotations have strengthened the team in the following matches and that's great credit to their manager. They have 20 or 22 players at the same level of performance."

Recalling the cup match in Madrid, the boss is aware that there are things to improve: "We're hoping to be able to do well. That match was different to the two at home, in which we were far superior. At the Bernabéu, in the first half we were clearly dominated by Real Madrid and we have to learn from that".

He did not hide the fact that the squad is depleted for tomorrow's clash: "We're not going into it in good shape. Yesterday Rami had a problem; Escudero, Mariano and Iborra won't make it; Vitolo is not 100% after his injury and Nasri has a tendon problem which we're going to analyse today. All this makes the formation complicated for us".

After a bad patch away from home in the last few weeks, it would be good to finish by winning at the Santiago Bernabéu: "For us it would be good, knowing that we're facing a team that motivate us because everyone's talking about them right now."