Kroos: Madrid don't need added motivation for Clasico

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Al Ain, December 17: Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos believes his team's Club World Cup success will make little difference ahead of a crucial El Clasico.

Zinedine Zidane's men claimed a fifth trophy of the year with a 1-0 win over Gremio on Saturday (December 16), but their attentions must quickly turn to domestic matters.

Madrid host LaLiga leaders Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on December 23, needing a win to close an eight-point gap to their rivals.

Kroos said Madrid's latest trophy mattered little for that clash, insisting his team already had all the motivation they needed.

"For this game, you don't need anything special before or any motivation or anything," the Germany international said.

"It's better to go with a good feeling back to Madrid but this game is special whatever happens before."

Cristiano Ronaldo scored in each of Madrid's victories at the Club World Cup, including the winner against Gremio.

As Ronaldo proved his critics wrong again, Kroos said his team already knew how important the Portuguese forward was.

"This is good for the press. We know if he is on the pitch he tries to help us. He tries to score and he did it again in both matches," he said.

"We don't need to speak about how important he is to us."

Source: OPTA