Real Madrid News
RB Leipzig sensation talks Benzema, Valverde, Modric, Vinicius, Real Madrid’s UCL success
It is a tumultuous week for RB Leipzig, who have had to deal with the death of club owner Dieter Mateschitz.
However, the Bundesliga club were dealt a slight boost as Dani Olmo returned from injury. In light of the upcoming game against Real Madrid, the Spaniard has offered a long interview with Diario AS, where he talked about Madrid’s success, along with the likes of Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.
On whether he will play against Real Madrid on Tuesday: “We will see. I’ll barely have a week of training with the group. I still lack competition rhythm but the idea is to gradually join the team and hopefully, I can have a few more minutes than on Saturday.”
On facing Real Madrid for the first time: “That’s how it is. I haven’t been able to play against one of the best teams in the world yet and it would be very special to do so on a stage like the Champions League.”
On Real Madrid’s tag as ‘champions’: “Above all, many titles and many Champions (laughs). Madrid, due to their history and present, due to the players they have and their mentality, will always be among the favourites. They dominate this competition like no one else and it shows it every year.”
On his favourite player from Los Blancos: “There are many very unbalanced but I prefer Modric. Not only because of the time I spent playing in Croatia but because of the immense player that he is and how he performs at his age.
“I like everything about him. He is one of my favorite players. He dominates the tempo of the matches, he makes it look very easy, reads the game perfectly, has impressive quality and he is incredible at making decisions. He does everything right.”
On Karim Benzema winning the Ballon d’Or: “He had a very good season and was a fundamental pillar to conquer everything that Madrid won.”
On the rise of Vinicius Jr: “I’m being honest. Even when he started at Madrid I thought he was a great player with a great future but that he needed a period of adaptation and it has been shown that this was the case. Things take time and processes must be respected.”
On Toni Kroos rating Federico Valverde as top three in the world: “Maybe not. Right now he is at a spectacular level. I don’t know if he is in the top three but he is among the best today. We are seeing it. I love him.”
On Real Madrid’s transfer activity in the summer: “Madrid are Madrid. There are entries and exits of players every season but they are always at the top, fighting for everything. The templates change but the team is still just as competitive.”
On speculations over his move to Santiago Bernabeu: “I don’t pay much attention to rumours. Let’s just leave it at that”
On what Real Madrid will find against RB Leipzig on Tuesday: “A strong team that needs to win and that will try to make it very difficult for them. Now we are in good dynamics. We will try to dominate the match.”
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
