Zinedine Zidane has said Real Madrid will stay in the La Liga title race whatever happens in Sunday's derby with leaders Atletico.
Madrid go into the match at the Wanda Metropolitano five points behind Atletico, who also have a game in hand.
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'It's a final, but like every other game,' Zidane said in a news conference on Saturday. 'When we play, we always have to win. Whatever happens tomorrow, we'll be alive in the league.'
Top La Liga matches: February 26 to March 1, 2021 Sevilla vs Barcelona: A top-four clash awaits as Sevilla take on Lionel Messi and company on Saturday. The hosts have been in sparkling form lately, and will be looking to make it a sixth straight victory as they aim to finish as high in the table as possible.
- Benzema, who has scored 12 goals in La Liga this season, trained on Thursday and Friday ahead of the match, which could prove crucial in the Spanish title race.
- In three European games over three days, La Liga teams. A debate for today quickly forgotten tomorrow, no time for patience still less a plan, there is a bit more to it than just the melodrama.
Madrid have won five of their last six games in all competitions, recovering from a January slump that saw them knocked out of the Spanish Supercopa and Copa del Rey and beaten in La Liga by Levante.
They are yet to taste defeat at the Wanda since Atletico's move there in 2017, and were comfortable 2-0 winners when the teams last met in La Liga in December.
'That doesn't mean anything,' Zidane said. 'This is another game, another story. The past won't help you at all.'
Zidane also confirmed that Madrid's top scorer Karim Benzema is available for selection after being out through injury since Feb. 14.
'He is important to our system of play, above all when we have the ball,' he added. 'We won't take a risk, if there's a doubt, a player can hurt themselves and be out for longer. You'll see [if he starts] tomorrow.'
Benzema aside, Madrid have struggled for goals this season, and their next highest scorer in La Liga is defensive midfielder Casemiro with five.
Atletico had a 10-point lead at the top of the table a month ago -- but that gap has steadily shrunk since then, as Diego Simeone's team drew twice and lost once in February to give both Madrid and Barcelona hope.
'It's a match-up between two teams who are in similar situations, but they're three points,' Simeone said on Saturday. 'There's a lot at stake, but that's also true on Wednesday and next Saturday.
'10 or 12 games ago we were talking about a huge gap, a season that hadn't been good for Real Madrid and Barcelona, and now they're competing well. It's a long season. We have to keep going.'
Full-back Kieran Trippier is expected to return for Atletico after his 10-week ban for breaching Football Association betting rules came to an end.
'He's looking forward to playing,' Simeone added. 'He's an important player with quality and experience, and he gives us a lot.'
Barcelona have moved back up to second in the La Liga table thanks to a impressive 5-1 win at home to Alaves.
Ronald Koeman’s side have looked a different outfit in 2021, with their victory over the Basque club their seventh straight win in league action.
It brings them back to within eight points of current leaders Atletico Madrid, as they look to keep up the pressure on Diego Simeone’s side in the season run in.
A superstar performance from Lionel Messi laid the foundations for the win, as he lashed home their second of the night just before the break, after Trincao had netted his second goal in as many games.
Trincão² pic.twitter.com/vkRyPhjOIH
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 13, 2021
The 33-year old continued to be at the heart of everything good about Koeman’s hosts after the break as his saved shot handed Trincao his second of the night, before he made it 4-1 with another long range effort.
Mr. Saturday Night pic.twitter.com/H8X8uT3mNe
La Liga Games Tomorrow Premier League
La Liga Games Tomorrow Games
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 13, 2021
Full back Junior Firpo added a fifth goal late on, with Messi again heavily involved, as the Catalans warmed up perfectly for their midweek Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.