A plague of recent injuries will force Zinedine Zidane into utilising some players against Sporting Gijon on Saturday who would normally occupy a place on the subs bench. Without Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane as well as Toni Kroos and Alvaro Morata, there will be new faces in the starting XI at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The way of playing, however, will not change. "I know that sometimes you think that we are going to change the system because a player is injured, but even if we did, the team dynamics will be the same," Zidane noted at his pre-match press conference. "The good thing about this team is that there are many players that can occupy different positions."
Lucas Vazquez will definitely play in a new attacking trident alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. However, it may also be time for James Rodriguez or Marco Asensio to lay definitive claims for a starting spot. The case of James "I don't agree that I never play him," Zidane said when questioned about James Rodriguez's lack of minutes. "If I were James, I would not leave Madrid. It has not been his moment in the last few games because there are other players who did very well. "He's very good, and wants to play more but I have to make decisions and I can say that he will be important for us."
Pepe and Casemiro return to the squad after lengthy injury absences and although Sergio Ramos is one yellow away from a suspension, Zidane confirmed his captain will play against Sporting. "Sergio will play because I'm not thinking about the Camp Nou," he said."Sporting will be more difficult than it seems." The issue of Benzema's status in the team was also a topic of discussion on Friday but the coach swiftly extinguished any idea that his' Real career was coming to an end. "He's always had to prove himself," Zidane said. "Everyone has to do it, but he maybe more than others. I don't know how many years he's been here, how many goals he's scored but he still always has to prove himself. "It's his day to day life though and he's aware of it, but nothing happens. "There will always be criticism and we can't change it."
Speaking of criticism, Zidane is clear that he won't be affected by it either. "I know what Madrid is about," he continued. "When you just play a normal game, people criticise. "I love winning, I am a winner and we play to win. "We are lucky to be able to make people dream. I'm aware of that and I am very motivated. "To be criticised if we don't win games will not change me."
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