AFP
Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has warned the club's fans not to get carried away, pointing out that his in-form side have won nothing yet as the three-way battle for the Spanish title hots up.
"We have won nothing. Absolutely nothing. We are in a good situation but we have won nothing," Zidane said at a press conference ahead of Wednesday's meeting with Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu. "I don't like to see people saying we are going to win everything."
Madrid had been 12 points behind leaders Barcelona in March but a run of seven consecutive wins combined with a remarkable slump in form by the Catalans has allowed them to close right in. Barcelona have lost their last three league games and are now ahead of Atletico Madrid only thanks to a better head-to-head record, with Real a point back in third.
"We need to keep working and fighting right up to the last moment because they are ahead of us as it stands," said Zidane, whose side have a perfect league record since losing at home to Atletico at the end of February. "At that point it was more complicated. Obviously when you lose a match against a direct rival, it is much more complicated, but what football has shown me, and what I know from my days as a player, is that nothing is ever done."
Madrid will be without Gareth Bale due to a minor leg muscle injury for the game against a Villarreal side who are fourth in the table. Dani Carvajal and Pepe are also missing from the Real squad.
