Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has opted against including Isco and Marco Asensio as a part of his nineteen-man squad to take on Sporting CP at the Santiago Bernabeu.
According to AS Sport, Zidane has decided to leave out Isco and Asensio for Real Madrid’s Champions League opener against Sporting CP. Nacho and Mariano have also not been picked in Los Blancos’ nineteen-man squad.
Isco is understood to have been recuperating from an injury. However, Zidane confirmed that he was fit enough to play in the game against Osasuna, but the Malaga born striker will undergo a few more training sessions before he is ready to feature for Madrid.
Due to James’s return from injury, Asensio, unfortunately, is forced to make way for the Colombian midfielder.
Cristiano Ronaldo too, only recently returned to full fitness. When asked about the Portuguese’s involvement in the Sporting game, Zidane said he hopes to field him for the entire course of the game.
Speaking to the press ahead of the match, the French manager said: “He’s ready to play and the idea is that he’ll play the 90 minutes. But anything can happen in a game.
I always think about the 60 days that he’s been out. That’s a lot of time for a player.
I speak with Cristiano about other things, not how many minutes he´ll play. He always wants to play 90 minutes”.
Real Madrid’s squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Casilla, Yáñez and Craninx.
Defenders: Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo and Danilo.
Midfielders: Kroos, James, Casemiro, Kovacic and Modric.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Lucas Vázquez and Morata.