Real Madrid vs Eibar - Zidane says Isco remains important to Real Madrid

Posted Saturday, October 01, 2016 by PA

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has confirmed that Isco will start against Eibar when the pair meet at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in LaLiga on Sunday afternoon.

The Spain international has only played 55 minutes of league football this season, fuelling speculation of a rift between player and coach.

But the Frenchman insists there is no friction between him and the 24-year-old midfielder and that Isco has a big role in the Real Madrid team.

Speaking at Saturday's press conference, Zidane said: "He's an important player in our team. I like Isco and he will play as a starter, even though he has not played much."

The Madrid boss is not looking back on the club's three successive draws in all competitions and is focusing on breaking that duck in the match-up with Eibar.

He said: "What interests me is not the past results but how we look for the solutions we lacked against Las Palmas and Borussia Dortmund, the demands at this club are clear every day and even if people appreciate that we have won a Champions League, I have to find solutions."

The injury list is mounting up for LaLiga's leaders with many key men missing out in the final training session before Los Blancos host Eibar.

Luka Modric, captain Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao were all absent from Saturday morning and will miss the match.

Modric only rejoined the side in training on Friday evening but has been ruled out for three to four weeks with an injury to cartilage in his left knee which forced him to skip Saturday morning's session.

They are also missing Marcelo, who is only in light training with his calf injury, while Casemiro is still sidelined with a broken leg.

Ramos has been rested for the match after starting every game this season with Zidane looking to rotate his squad to avoid burnout, while Coentrao is not deemed match-fit having not played a minute at all this term.

Fuel was added to the fire ahead of the match when Danilo said Eibar "pay the price for this on Sunday" following their indifferent form of late.

But Eibar's ex-Madrid midfielder Pedro Leon believes that the Brazilian full-back has crossed a line with his remarks.

Leon told the club's official website: "Real Madrid as a club have a set of values that the president, coach and captain transmit, and Danilo should learn from them."

Adrian Gonzalez is confident Los Armeros can pull off an upset at the Bernabeu despite losing two of their three league fixtures away from home this season.

The midfielder told the club's official website: "We need to show why we're in this position, go there looking to win and get something from the game.

"We have to go there and show focus, intensity and go about things in the right way. We'll have to go all out and show that we're a very good side."