Sports
#UCLfinal: Choosing my starting XI is a headache – Zidane
Ahead of their UEFA Champions League final this weekend against Liverpool, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says selecting his starting lineup for the clash is giving him a headache.
The Spanish giants are seeking a third consecutive Champions League triumph, and they have only the Premier League side to conquer in order to achieve the feat.
There is debate surrounding who will start alongside Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo in Real’s attack, with Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Isco, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez all vying for positions.
“Choosing my starting XI is already giving me a headache,” Zidane joked to reporters on Tuesday, as cited by Diario AS.
“The front three [Bale, Benzema, Cristiano] for me are the best, by a long way, as they have shown many times they are very good.
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“But then I must give others a chance too, be true to my messages and belief in rotation, in different styles and formation but I will not say now who starts on Saturday, I do not even know myself for sure.
“Cristiano knows that a player can have difficult moments but that self-awareness is why he is the best because some players suffer under pressure, and others are the opposite.
“He responds perfectly to criticism because the more he receives the better he becomes, so you (the press) must be careful when saying he is not good enough.
“I’m always positive, I have that now because I was taught by my parents that to achieve things you must have self-belief because if you think you will fail, then you will fail.”
The Champions League final will go down this Saturday in Kiev, Ukraine.
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