Real Madrid are now six points behind Barcelona after a resurgence under Santiago Solari and uncharacteristic slip by the leaders at Atletico Bilbao. This has created a sense of hope to the Madrid side with a believe that they can catch their fiercest rivals.
While speakin to beIN SPORTS after their 3-1 win against city rivals Atletico Bilbao, Real’s captain Sergio Ramos indicated that the league is still wide open.
“The league is still to be contested,” he said. “There are many points in play and any team can complicate your life as it was seen in the first round [of games].
“We have that hope and we will fight for the league and make it difficult for Barcelona even though they have a very important lead.”
“Real Madrid played a very, very good match, very complete in all the lines, not only in attack but also on a defensive level the team left few possibilities to the opponent and I think the result is fair enough,” he added.
“They pushed well up and caused us a lot of danger, but the match is 90 minutes and we have to know how to play the time and in that sense, Real Madrid made a very smart game.”
Real’s keeper agrees with Ramos by indicating that they have their sight on Barca.
“It was a complicated game,” Courtois told Real Madrid TV after the Atletico game. “But we knew how to get past the rival, who was not easy at all.
“We put ourselves ahead of them in the table and we’ll see how we go to May but now we’re very good, with good feelings after the game against Barcelona.
“We do not feel fatigue.”
Madrid will face Barca twice more in the next three weeks, the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final followed by a La Liga clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 2.