Zinedine Zidane promises Real Madrid will attack Bayern Munich in Champions League semifinal second leg

Real boss Zidane is bidding to become the first manager to lead his side to three consecutive European Cups in the Champions League era.
Updated 30 April 2018
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Zinedine Zidane promises Real Madrid will attack Bayern Munich in Champions League semifinal second leg

  • Real lead German giants 2-1 after first leg in Munich last week.
  • Madrid boss insists his side will not be complacent at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has said his side will look to attack Bayern Munich quickly in Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg as they seek to remain on course for an unprecedented third consecutive Champions League trophy.
Real hold a 2-1 lead after the first leg in Germany last week, however the Frenchman insists the job is nowhere near complete, and his side will not sit back and let Bayern take the initiative.
“The key for us is think about winning the game and go onto the pitch wanting to do that. We need to go out to score quickly and that’s what we’ll try to do,” Zidane said.
“It’s a semifinal, we know how important it is and what we have to do. We don’t have to change what we’re doing.
“Our focus and determination will be there — we don’t need to change much — what we did in the first leg was good, but we now need to show in the return that what we want is to go through.”
With regular right back Dani Carvajal missing with a hamstring problem, Zidane faces a selection headache given replacement Nacho has sat out the past month with a thigh injury.
Local media reports indicate winger Lucas Vazquez could be asked to deputise, however no decision will be made until Tuesday. Midfielder Isco is also a doubt following a shoulder problem.
“Nacho has been out, but trained a lot recently, and today he was with us and he’s ready to go in that respect,” Zidane said. “We have time ahead of the game and we’ll think about what we’re going to do.”
Real captain Sergio Ramos echoed the coach’s thoughts: “We got a good result over there, but we need to think that it’s still 0-0. We want to defend our title, and beat the Germans, too,” he said.
“We’re making the impossible look easy. In the last four years we’ve won three Champions League titles. In such a small amount of time it’s a challenge for the squad to carry on breaking records.”
Ramos, meanwhile, also said that his side would not give Barcelona a guard of honor in their league meeting next weekend despite the Catalan outfit securing the La Liga title on Sunday, as per the coach’s instructions.
“What Zidane says is gospel. We’re making too much fuss out of all this. Barca have the title, which is what they wanted, but there will be no guard of honor – full stop,” he said.
“They want to enjoy their title and the same for us and ours, we need to eliminate the Germans and to reach another final.”


FIA president praises Saudi Arabia boost of Dakar Rally

Updated 14 January 2026
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FIA president praises Saudi Arabia boost of Dakar Rally

  • Mohammed Ben Sulayem will attend the climax of the 48th edition at the weekend

DUBAI: FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has praised Saudi Arabia for helping the Dakar Rally emerge as one of the world’s top events, and boosting the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.

Ben Sulayem will attend the 48th edition of the legendary race as it reaches its climax at the weekend.

The opening round of the championship has attracted a record 72 entries. It will also mark the launch of the new FIA Master Drivers’ Championship, and the entry of Defender as a new manufacturer.

Ben Sulayem will be welcomed on Friday by Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.

The FIA president, who will speak at the closing ceremony on Saturday evening, said the event “continues to go from strength to strength.”

He added that the race now has a “record numbers of entries, new manufacturers, and ever-increasing competition in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, reflecting the continued global growth of motorsport.”

He thanked Prince Khalid and the federation “for hosting another outstanding event and delivering a truly world-class experience for competitors, fans, and all those involved.”

Joining Ben Sulayem on his visit will be Malcolm Wilson, the FIA’s deputy president for sport.

“The 2026 edition of the Dakar Rally continues to showcase both the growth of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship and the strength of Cross-Country rallying as a whole,” said Wilson.

He added that it was “encouraging to see three manufacturers – Toyota, Dacia and Ford – all increasing their presence,” and welcomed Defender in the Stock category.