Hazard, Asensio back for Real return against Eibar, says Zidane

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VIDEO SHOWS: REAL MADRID COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE SPEAKING AT A NEWS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF LA LIGA MATCH AGAINST EIBAR, REAL MADRID TRAINING

SHOWS: MADRID, SPAIN (JUNE 13, 2020) (REAL MADRID TV - MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO. NO RESALE)

1. REAL MADRID CAPTAIN AND CENTRE BACK SERGIO RAMOS VOLLEYING CROSS AND SCORING DURING TRAINING SESSION

2. MIDFIELDER CASEMIRO SHOOTING AND SCORING

3. MIDFIELDER LUKA MODRIC VOLLEYING CROSS AND SCORING

4. STRIKER KARIM BENZEMA SHOOTING AND SCORING

5. TRAINING MATCH IN PROGRESS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH, ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:

"The good news is that they both have had time to prepare like all the other players, even having a longer injury like Marco (Asensio) but he is training normally with us, so is Eden (Hazard), they are both available, they will both be with us and that's great news."

7. MIDFIELDER MARCO ASENSIO VOLLEYING CROSS AND SCORING

8. MODRIC SHOOTING / GOALKEEPER THIBAUT COURTOIS BLOCKING

9. MIDFIELDER ISCO SHOOTING / GOALKEEPER ALPHONSE AREOLA BLOCKING

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID, COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:

"The Di Stefano is our stadium. It's true we are used to playing at the Bernabeu but we adapt to what we have, so we have to play at the Di Stefano and we're delighted to be playing there. We've trained there, the sizes (pitch dimensions) are the same so we're ready to play at the Di Stefano."

11. TRAINING MATCH IN PROGRESS

12. BENZEMA SCORING DURING MATCH

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH, ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:

"To answer clearly, I don't like it, playing without fans. That's what I think inside me, but as always we adapt to the situation we are in, and this is the situation. There' s a government and there's people working for all that and we accept and respect what they say. But no-one can take away our excitement about playing again, so even without fans that will miss us of course, we adapt and we think about how lucky we are to be playing again. The players are the first to be happy to play again and we'll make just as big an effort on the pitch even without fans."

14. CASEMIRO SHOOTING AND SCORING

15. LEFT BACK MARCELO PASSING BALL WITH ZIDANE / SHOOTING AND SCORING

16. CENTRE BACK RAPHAEL VARANE HEADING CROSS AND COURTOIS BLOCKING

17. MIDFIELDER TONI KROOS SHOOTING

18. MIDFIELDER JAMES RODRIGUEZ SHOOTING AND SCORING

19. MIDFIELDER FEDERICO VALVERDE SHOOTING AND SCORING

20. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH, ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:

"We all had a bad time because many people have lost their beloved, it has happened to everyone and to me too. That's the bad thing but the good thing is that everything comes back to normal but as I said, (I watched) lots of football at home (during lockdown) and well.. nothing about cooking (LAUGHS). I tried but I'm a disaster, I can do a few things but better to watch football."

21. VARIOUS OF TRAINING MATCH IN PROGRESS

22. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH, ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:

"I want to express my love to all those who have lost their beloved ones in these very hard moments. I also want to express my gratitude with all the health workers, to everyone who was able to work in order to save all the people, for the great work they have done and will keep doing. And I want to also remember all the members of the Real Madrid family who have left us."

23. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS SHOOTING TO GOAL

STORY: Real Madrid's joint-record signing Eden Hazard and Spain international Marco Asensio are both fit for the team's first La Liga match in over three months against visitors Eibar on Sunday (June 14), coach Zinedine Zidane has said.

Hazard injured his ankle for the second time this season in February and was expected to miss the rest of the campaign after surgery but the competition being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic gave him extra time to recover.

Asensio meanwhile had missed the entire campaign since rupturing knee ligaments in pre-season and has also benefited from the long pause in action.

"The good news is that they both have had time to prepare like all the other players, Asensio is training normally, so is Hazard, they are both available and that's great news for us," Zidane told a virtual news conference on Saturday.

Zidane's side are involved in one of the closest-run La Liga title races in recent memory, trailing leaders Barcelona by two points with 11 games to go as they look to overhaul the Catalans to win their first league crown since 2017.

The match with Eibar will also be Real's first La Liga game at the 6,000 capacity Alfredo di Stefano stadium, where they have chosen to play their final home fixtures of the campaign in order to accelerate renovation works to the Santiago Bernabeu.

That decision was taken because the games were expected to be played behind closed doors and, while fans may now be able to return from June 29, Zidane said the team would still complete the campaign in the tiny stadium at their training ground.

"The Di Stefano is our stadium until the end of the season and we're delighted to be playing there. The pitch is the same size, we've trained there and we're ready to play there," he added.

"I don't like playing without fans but that's the situation we're in and we'll adapt to it. But no-one can take away our excitement about playing and we'll make just as big an effort on the pitch."

The French coach said he watched lots of football during the COVID lockdown despite having a bad time and sent condolences to all those who lost their beloved during the pandemic.

(Production: Miguel Gutierrez)