Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini repeated this Wednesday that his team's home defeat to FC Barcelona last Saturday does not mean that the Primera Liga title has been lost.
Barcelona’s 2-0 win in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium gave the Catalan side a three point lead and superior goal difference against Real Madrid, but with seven games still to be played, Pellegrini insists there is time for a lot to happen.
"We said before the Classico that whoever won the match can't think they are champion and that whoever lost can't start to think they are out of the race. The season ends on 16 May, so we will try to cut into the lead until the very last match," he said ahead of Thursday's league game away to Almeria.
Pellegrini was certain that his players still had high morale and was confident they could respond to the Barcelona defeat with a good performance in Almeria's Mediterranean Games Stadium.
"This team is able to pick itself up as it has done in the past. Over the last three days I have seen the players get over the defeat and focus on what needs to be done. We cannot afford any setbacks and winning the next seven matches is crucial. It is important to be mentally prepared to take the three points against Almeria," he said in declarations published on the club website.
"The league ends on 16 May, so the best thing we can do is win each match that we play starting tomorrow against Almeria. The hardest match is always the next one, which is the one we must win," insisted Pellegrini.