Thibaut Courtois said ahead of the Clasico against Barcelona that Real Madrid must win to close the gap in La Liga. Madrid are third on 21 points after nine rounds, six behind leaders Barcelona.
Comments after Leipzig win
Courtois made the remarks after Madrid's 4-1 win over Leipzig in the third round of the Champions League league phase. Speaking to Real Madrid's channel, in comments highlighted by Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Courtois said: "I feel very good, I'm happy and working well. I made two important saves to keep the clean sheet at that moment, and to go into the break ahead, because the match can become complicated if you find yourself behind in the result."
What he said about the match
He added: "Scoring the first goal was important, and at the break the coach asked us to improve defensively. Our performance developed, we defended with greater intensity, and we achieved a good victory."
Squad competition
He said: "The team is in very good shape, and we see that we can rely on almost all the players. There is strong competition, and that makes us all better."
Clasico objective
"We need to close the gap with them, and this can only be achieved by winning," the Belgian said.
"We will go into the match with confidence, and we hope to defend well so that we do not concede goals."