STARTED FIRST MATCH: Martin Ødegaard gained confidence from the start in Real Madrid’s first league match of the season. Photo: ANDER GILLENEA / AFP
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Zinedine Zidane praises Martin Ødegaard’s (21) physical basis before the Spanish capital team goes into a close match program.
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.