Ronald Koeman and Zinedine Zidane hope that Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos will not face their last Clásico. The routiners of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively have an expiring contract and have not yet reached an agreement on a new contract. In their press conferences, Koeman and Zidane both say LaLiga would benefit if Messi and Ramos continue to play in the league.
Ramos is sidelined at Saturday’s top match due to a calf injury. Real must also do without Raphaël Varane, who tested positive for the corona virus on Tuesday. “Real misses two important players with Varane and Ramos”, Koeman realizes. “They are important and good central defenders and Ramos is the captain, but against Liverpool Real has proven to be able to perform with other players.” Real won 3-1 against Liverpool in the first meeting in the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Messi is available for Barcelona. The 33-year-old star player has not yet revealed his future plans. Last summer he was looking for a transfer, but Barcelona then held him to his contract. In the meantime, a new chairman has been appointed with Joan Laporta, which means that there is also the hope that Messi will stay longer. “For the competition it is important that the best players stay as long as possible”, says Koeman. “You can’t compare Messi and Ramos because they are a defender and a forward, but they are both important to their side. Hopefully Ramos will stay in Madrid and Messi in Barcelona.”
Fellow trainer Zidane agrees. “I hope it will not be his last Clásico. Let him stay with Barcelona. He is good there. For LaLiga it is good if he stays,” said the Frenchman about Messi, who has not scored in el Clásico since May 2018. “We know what kind of player Messi is. Maybe he doesn’t score as often as before, but we know him. We play against Barcelona, all their players are good.” Like Koeman, Zidane hopes that Ramos will also stay with his club. “I also hope that it will not turn out to be his last Clásico,” said the Real Madrid coach.
Koeman received positive news in the run-up to the squatter: Gerard Piqué and Sergi Roberto are available again after an absence of five and thirteen official matches respectively. Piqué suffered from a knee injury and Sergi Roberto from a lingering muscle injury. “They are two important players,” says the Dutchman. “We know they both have little game rhythm, but they are physically okay and look forward to helping the squad. I think a player should always be fully fit to line him up. But in the case of these two players. It is because of their personality and the fact that they are captain, it is important that they are there. It is my job to select the best eleven. “
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