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Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui insisted his players stay together at the club’s training ground the night before Tuesday’s Champions League game against Viktoria Plzen in a bid to turn around the club’s faltering season.
On Monday, Sergio Ramos was involved in a training ground bust-up with young defender Sergio Reguilon, an incident which led the club captain to tweet an apology a few hours later.
And now, with Madrid having only scored one goal in five games, Lopetegui has changed his prematch routine ahead of the Group G game against Champions League minnows Plzen.
Former Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s policy was for players to spend the night before games at Madrid’s training ground residences.
But, on arrival this summer, Lopetegui changed things so that squad members could sleep at home and then make their own way to the stadium closer to kick-off time.
On more than one occasion Lopetegui has denied he has given in to demands from star players who had disliked being away from home the night before a home game.
Lopetegui admitted at Monday’s prematch news conference that he could lose his job before Sunday’s Clasico at the Bernabeu, and the move to mirror Zidane’s methods is an attempt to turn things around.
Meanwhile, midfielder Dani Ceballos misses out on the squad, amid reports Lopetegui had been unhappy with the Spain international’s attitude in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Levante. Reguilon is also not involved.
Vinicius Jr., who has featured little under Lopetegui despite being a €45 million signing, is in the squad and could make his Champions League debut.
The Brazilian will miss the Clasico against Barcelona on Sunday after he was sent off for diving moments after scoring a superb goal in Real Madrid Castilla’s draw with Celta Vigo B.
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