Shakhtar are very competitive team

- The match against Shakhtar will be special for your team because for the first time you start the Champions League not at the Santiago Bernabeu, but at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Is it important for you to start with a victory?

- Sure. We are playing at home in a very important tournament. We are preparing and want to win by displaying a spectacular style.

- Shakhtar arrived without seven major players. Perhaps Real Madrid are also planning to have a rotation and save their strength because you’ll have a duel vs Barcelona this weekend?

- We always focus on the very next match. Shakhtar are a very competitive team with a good reserve. We also have some players who won’t be able to participate in the nearest meeting, plus a long bench. We prepare responsibly, we want to confirm our level.

- How do you feel about the fact that they criticized you so much after losing to Cadiz?

- Criticism is a habitual phenomenon for football - most importantly, we know perfectly well what needs to be done to correct the situation. The match against Cadiz did not work out, but tomorrow Real Madrid will face another match, and we will try to change the dynamics. Every day we are working to improve our play which will allow us to fight for trophies.

- Just a year ago, also in October, Real Madrid lost 0-1 to Mallorca in the Primera division, but then they played excellently in Istanbul against Galatasaray in the Champions League. After that, the team delivered a great streak. Maybe something like that is going to happen this time?

- We lost just three points. I don’t want to go into details, but we know perfectly well what we want to change. We want to play well and win. But sometimes we have unsuccessful matches, some difficulties. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I can assure you that we will fight to the end. We will do the utmost for our fans to be proud of Real Madrid.

- Ronald Koeman said that his Barcelona are not the Champions League favourites. Can we say the same about Real Madrid?

- We know who we are and what we want. It’s important to be ready to fight for it, but lots of sides want to win the Champions League. Real annually fight for wins in this competition. We want to win it; we know there’ll be tough times, but in order to win it you have to get over these tough times. We have high expectations for the Champions League.

- How does Eden Hazard feel?

- He suffered a heavy injury and needs time. On the pitch, I demand the maximum from my players, so they must be fully prepared. I hope that Eden will soon join us: he will come back, play and help us achieve our goals.

- After the match against Cadiz, the criticism was primarily directed at you. But in that game, some older players such as Modric and Marcelo did no better. Don't you think their time is over now?

“No, it’s not so. I agree that the criticism was well-deserved, but this doesn’t apply to individual players. We're all in the same boat now. And criticism is present always, sometimes more, sometimes less. Our work can be the answer. We have a tight schedule, with games every three days. In the near future we will try to change the dynamics, and tomorrow's match is special in this regard. There will always be some criticism, because they criticize us even when we win.

- What is Sergio Ramos’ condition and will he take to the pitch on Wednesday?

- He’s got issues, today he hasn’t trained with us. We want to spare our captain. Some players are in a better form. But on the matchday, we'll still see how Sergio will feel.

- Real Madrid have scored only six goals in five games. What’s the problem?

- Despite all the difficulties, I think we now have a good roster and team. It happens that the start is not the best. We need to see the whole lot of work. This is an unusual moment, but we’ll try to change for the better in our next meetings.

- Football has become more physical in recent years. Maybe Real Madrid should correspond better to it?

- Yes, it's true. Football has changed, the intensity of the games is much higher. To match, we need to train more. I support this: to play to the end, to put pressure in the opponents’ half. We always try to drive the opponents into their half. And for this we need everyone to be physically ready.

- What can you say about Isco? Can he be the one he used to be?

- He’s a great footballer. It was just a bad day, the play didn’t work. I haven’t got a slightest doubt about Isco's level.

- And what do you make of Thibaut Courtois’ availability?