Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos fit and available for the visit of Napoli on Wednesday.
The Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League is commencing this week and holders Real Madrid will continue their defence of the title on Wednesday as they play hosts to Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg.
This is the first time that Napoli have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League since 2012, and they did that in style as they finished atop Group B. Meanwhile, Los Blancos qualified as the runners up in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund. Here’s the team news for Real Madrid ahead of Wednesday’s encounter.
The news on that front is mostly good, with Zidane only having two injury concerns to deal with, with three big names being declared fit for the visit of Maurizio Sarri’s side on Wednesday.
?⚽️? #RMCity
Today’s training session ✅Bring on tomorrow’s match! ?#RMUCL #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/Q0LT4rZkWW
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) February 14, 2017
Gareth Bale finally joined his teammates in first team training this week, having recovered from an ankle injury but is still a long way away from regaining full match fitness.
He has, thus, been excluded from the squad to face Napoli and will watch the match from the sidelines. The other notable absentee is right-back Danilo, who is out with a gashed leg.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Bale’s return, Zidane said that it is important to not rush the Wales international back. He said, “This is his first week back training with us, he’s in good shape physically. He’s had almost three months out and we have to take it slowly with Gareth. The important thing is that he’s back training with us.”
However, the good news is that Zidane has his team’s talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo fit and available after he picked up a knock in Real Madrid’s win over Osasuna on the weekend. Toni Kroos is back as well and the Germany international is set to play for the first time in three weeks.
Speaking on the availability of Kroos, Zidane said, “It’s a question of his head and mind. Although Kroos hasn’t played in three weeks, he’s ready because of his experience. We’ve got the 24 players fit again and that’s great news.”
#RealMadrid 1️⃣9️⃣??
? @en_sscnapoli
? Santiago Bernabéu
? Tomorrow/Mañana
⏰ 20:45 CET
? Champions League pic.twitter.com/tiAeHiRUs3— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) February 14, 2017
Meanwhile, James Rodriguez, who missed nearly a month of action with a calf injury, is also back into the squad and could come off the bench on Wednesday. Karim Benzema, though, is set to start against Napoli despite going through a six-game goal drought.
Zidane confirmed in his presser that James is finally fit and ready to play, “He’s in the squad and ready to play. Tomorrow you’ll see the team and the system that I am going to play. I can’t tell you the eleven.”
Here’s the 19-man Real Madrid squad to face Napoli in the first leg of the last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday:
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Kiko Casilla and Rubén Yáñez.
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Nacho and Marcelo.
Midfielders: Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Casemiro, Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric and Isco.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Lucas Vázquez and Alvaro Morata.
