Zidane: "You all know how fond we are of Cristiano Ronaldo..."

Zinedine Zidane warned that his side will need to put in a top performance against Elche if they are to take all three points from the game. The Real Madrid coach stopped short of making any direct declarations about the possibility of Cristiano returning, but did recognise his achievements during his time at the club and reiterated his hopes that Sergio Ramos will strike a new deal. He also voiced his faith in Eden Hazard, promising fans that once the Belgian is back at full fitness, they will seen an "amazing player".

Real Madrid, eight points behind the leaders

There are 12 LaLiga games left to play and Madrid need other teams to drop points. How do you prepare your team under those circumstances? "That's the reality, we are a little bit behind, but there are 12 games left to play in which every team will either win or lose points. We know that we are trailing and that we need to keep believing and working. We'll keep believing right up until the end. While there is still a possibility of being champions, we will work towards it and have belief".

Mourinho, Bale, Hazard and injuries. Do you think part of Hazard's injury problems could be psychological? "Eden has had aches and pains, it's true. He never suffered a long-term injury before coming to Madrid. Here, he has had a lot of niggling problems. But once he is fully fit, we will see an amazing player. I am addressing the fans here: when a player isn't 100%, it's difficult, but he is going to do really well here"

Benzema admitted after the derby that Madrid aren't scoring enough. Is that a worry for you? "No, because, in the end, people just talk about the same thing. What we can do is try to improve and that's what we work on every week. We will try to improve things. Every player wants to improve".

How is Hazard physically and in state of mind? Is he back at 100%? "He seems fine, physically and mentally he is 100%. He's over his injuries. He looks fine to me, he'll be in the squad and hopefully will play".

Camavinga: "He is not one of our players. He's a good player, sure,he's young and he has a bright future, but I'm not going to say any more as he is not one of our players".

Zidane hopes Ramos will renew

Vinicius. How would you rate his development over the past two years? "He has evolved well, knowing that he is still young and needs to improve. He wants to improve as a player and he trains well. This is Real Madrid and we will always ask for more from the players here".

Ramos' contract extension: "I don't know what will happen. We want Sergio to continue here. He's an important player for us and as the coach, all I can say is that I hope he stays with us and continues playing".

Asensio gives the impression that he is trying to bring something to the team but maybe doesn't have a defined role. How do you see it? "I don't know. Everyone is entitled to have their opinion. Marco has been involved in the day-to-day routine here for a long time now. He's gradually been getting back into form after injury. We are always going to demand more because we know the kind of player he is and we want more from Marco. But he is working well and we are happy to have him with us".

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Ramos and Hazard. Are they fit to play tomorrow? "Yes, of course. And we are very happy about that. The idea is that they both get some minutes".

Varane. Do you think his mind is on other things, away from Madrid? "No. I've always seen him talking very highly about the club. I think he's happy here and can only see him playing here".

Would you approve if Cristiano returned to Real Madrid? "You all know what he is, what he has done and the love we all have for him here. He made history here, he's a magnificent player. But right now he is a Juve player and I cannot say anything about what other people are saying. He's a Juve player and I must respect those things".