– Martin has great running power – VG

Real Madrid host Real Betis in the season’s second La Liga match on Saturday night at 21.00.

– We know what kind of team we meet, but it does not change much for us. We have to improve what we did in San Sebastián, says Zidane at the press conference before the meeting with the Sevilla team that has won two straight games in the series opener.

Now begins the tough autumn for the Frenchman’s squad. Next week, the Madrid team will play both weekend and midweek.

The Frenchman was reluctant with information about what kind of team he will field on Saturday.

– There will always be some players who play and others who do not. It’s life in a squad and in a team. I do not want to say much about what each of them adds or does not add to the team, Zidane answered a question about the benching of midfielder Casemiro.

But when he was asked about the use of Martin Ødegaard in the 10s position in the first match, the Frenchman shared something more.

– He is a player I know well and a slightly different player that we can use higher in the field. We also have other players we can use in that role and Martin can also play in several other positions, said the manager.

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– Martin has great running power and a very good physique. Now he played in the first match. We will have many matches ahead and they will come close. There will be no breaks for us, so the whole squad must be ready.

Ødegaard participated in the Madrid team’s joint training the day before the away match with Real Betis, but earlier this week there was uncertainty about the Norwegian’s opportunities to participate in the season’s second match.

Ødegaard tested first positive for the coronavirus after the 0-0 match against Real Sociedad on Sunday. It was reported by several Spanish media on Tuesday night. The second test was negative, however.

On Thursday, the third test also showed a negative effect on the coronavirus and Ødegaard was thus able to return to Real Madrid’s training.