Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui spoke today at a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League match against Roma. These are his words:
Tomorrow is your first Champions League match. Are you excited?
I feel a strong sense of responsibility. I am very happy to be able to be part of this match tomorrow. We want to play a great game, we have a lot of ambition.
First match in the Champions League without Ronaldo. What sort of Real Madrid is it now?
We must focus only on our players and this is a roster that can be competitive in all competitions. There were a lot of strong players at Real but I think only of my Madrid.
How will you handle the turnover for the goalkeepers? Who plays tomorrow goal?
I have not made any decisions yet. Both our goalkeepers are of the highest level and any decision I will make tomorrow will be the right one.
What kind of match do you expect?
Roma eliminated Atletico and Barcelona last year. The roster is more complete, the manager is the same. There are well-established actions in their play. I expect them to be stronger than last year and I expect an extraordinary match.
You’ve used a lot of turnover. Are you experimenting?
I make rotations to face every match as best as I can tactically. If we play every three days we must look for alternative solutions. Our roster is very deep.
