Zidane meets Sevilla on Saturday.
While, Barca play Granada on Sunday.
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has sympathy for former rivals’ Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde after his exit this week. The 55-year-old saw his tenure come to an end after two-and-a-half years, while Quique Setien was appointed as his successor.
Zidane has reacted to the decision from their La Liga rivals, while also acknowledging that he is fully aware that he will come under similar pressure if results were to drop for Real Madrid.
“I am sorry for him,” he told reporters, as quoted by Diario AS. “He is a coach who has shown how good he is, and I have a lot of respect for him. As coaches at clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, we know where we are at and that isn’t going to change. If I lose a couple of games I’m going to get criticized, as I did a month a half ago. You can only try to give 100%. I am sorry for Valverde.”
Real Madrid currently sit joint-top of the La Liga table with Barcelona, with both sides picking up 40 points from 19 games. While Setien takes charge of his first game on Sunday night, Zidane and his squad face Sevilla on Saturday looking to put the pressure on their rivals to respond.
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- VIDEO: New Barcelona boss Quique Setien shows skills in training
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- How coaching Barcelona is the best part of Setien’s life
