Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane will have midfielder Isco available for the Copa Del Rey quarter-final first leg meeting with Celta Vigo on Wednesday.
Real Madrid will be looking to quickly move on from the disappointment of their incredible 40-match unbeaten run coming to an end at Sevilla on the weekend, when they host Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu for the quarter-final first leg of the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday night.
With the unbeaten run behind them now, Zinedine Zidane’s side must focus on getting one step closer to winning the Copa Del Rey, as Eduardo Berizzo’s side come visiting. Ahead of the cup tie on Wednesday night though, here’s the team news for Los Blancos.
Zidane has no fresh injury concerns on his hands for Wednesday’s clash, as he continues to recover from his calf injury, while Welsh forward Gareth Bale has kickstarted his rehabilitation after getting his ankle surgically repaired and is likely to return to the first team fold in early March.
?✅ #RMCopa
Here’s our 19-man squad for tomorrow’s Copa del Rey quarter-final ? @rccelta_oficial!#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/uBgYT2UxNQ— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) January 17, 2017
James Rodriguez also remains unavailable after missing the match at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium due to physical discomfort. However, the biggest piece of news coming Zidane’s way is that midfielder Isco is fit and available again, after missing the weekend’s match due to a knock.
Wednesday night’s match could also see the Real Madrid boss return to his preferred 4-3-3 formation after adopting a 3-5-2 system in the loss at Sevilla on Sunday. As a result, Nacho could be back on the bench, with Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane likely to start at the heart of the Real Madrid defence.
Zidane is also likely to rest Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric for the match against Celta to give the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Morata a run in the first team.
Zidane was coy when quizzed upon the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo starting on Wednesday, during his pre-match press conference, “You’ll see what happens tomorrow. It’s normal that everyone has an opinion about whether it’s better to rest or to keep playing games”
Here’s the 19-man squad that Zidane has picked to face Celta Vigo on Wednesday night:
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Kiko Casilla and Rubén Yáñez.
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Nacho, Marcelo and Danilo.
Midfielders: Toni Kroos, Mateo Kovacic, Casemiro, Luka Modric, Isco and Marco Asensio.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Lucas Vázquez, Mariano and Alvaro Morata.
