Cristiano Ronaldo, dropped from the starting XI after a late fitness test ahead of the semi final clash against Manchester City, would have played if it was the final.
“It’s sensible; I’m going to wait for the next game. If it were a final, I’d play,” Ronaldo said to Antena 3 [via Marca] at the half time of the match against Manchester City.
There was some doubt about the Portuguese star’s fitness ahead of the match, but Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane had said in his pre-match press conference that there was a good chance that both Ronaldo and Karim Benzema might play.
However, Zidane clarified his statement after the match saying that although the two players were close to fitness, he was still waiting to see how they would react after a training session before the match.
“I said they were 100 percent, but I did say there was still the training session to go,” Zidane was quoted as saying in Manchester Evening News. “Cristiano felt something after that. That is all there is to it. We didn’t want to make things worse.”
Worries growing over Benzema too
While French striker Karim Benzema was cleared to take part in the game, the 28 year old had little impact in the first half against Manchester City, after which, he was taken off by Zidane.
The Real Madrid manager clarified his stand regarding Benzema as well, saying that the Frenchman felt his injury getting worse during the course of the first half.
“Karim, it was a little bit different, but little by little he felt a bit worse in himself. We didn’t want to gamble on his fitness. We know how important both players are for us,” said Zidane.
“We hope they can both be in the second leg, but we have to take it day by day. We are going to try and get them fit. That is our plan. I can’t assure you of anything. I can’t tell you right now if they will be fit.”
Catch-22 for Zizou?
We already saw how much of a difference Cristiano Ronaldo makes to Real Madrid, after he had to be left out of the matchday squad in the first leg of the Champions League semi final against Manchester City. Now, with Benzema also looking doubtful for the return fixture, it will be interesting to see what kind of combination Zidane goes for in Real Madird’s weekend fixture against Real Sociedad.
Being just a point behind table toppers Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, Real are very much in the La Liga hunt. However, a club as big as Real Madrid is always expected to win the Champions League. It would be interesting to see which competition the Frenchman prioritizes.
