After hinting that Cristiano Ronaldo was in need of a rest, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane backed up his words as he left out the club’s all-time goalscorer from their match day squad for their their league clash with Leganes on Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old has been in fine form of late, notably netting a brace in a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain last week and Zidane had stressed that everyone, even Ronaldo, needs a break now and then.
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On the wrong side of 30, the Portuguese icon is no longer a spring chicken and Zidane is following a trend he enforced last year as he rotates the No.7 in a bid to keep him fresh for the big game as the business end of the season nears.
In just seven UEFA Champions League games, Ronaldo has scored an incredible 11 goals to emerge as the front-runner to clinch the top-scorer award. He’s not been as prolific in the La Liga, with 12 goals in 19 games, but has still outscored his teammates by a considerable margin.
Los Blancos travel to Leganes on Wednesday night for their game in hand, as due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup they have played one game fewer than the rest of their rivals.
Currently in fourth place, Zidane’s side can overhaul Valencia if they win against 13th-ranked Leganes but whether the defending champions can manage to win the mid-week encounter without their talismanic forward remains to be seen.
The entire 18-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Casilla and Luca.
Defenders: Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Theo and Achraf.
Midfielders: Casemiro, M. Llorente, Asensio, Isco, Kovacic and Ceballos.
Forwards: Benzema, Bale, Lucas Vázquez and Mayoral.
