Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the trip to Riazor on Sunday due to suspension as Real Madrid open their La Liga campaign against Deportivo La Coruna.
Real Madrid kick off their campaign in the 2017-18 La Liga season on Sunday, when they travel to the Riazor to take on Deportivo La Coruna. Ahead of the Sunday’s trip though, here’s the all-important team news.
Zinedine Zidane does not have any pressing injury concerns to deal with currently, with Jesus Vallejo the only player on the treatment table. The young Spaniard, who returned from his loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, sustained a thigh injury last week.
Early reports suggest that he is likely to be out for two to three weeks. However, with Vallejo being below Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Nacho in the pecking order currently, the centre-back’s absence is unlikely to give Zidane any sleepless nights just yet.
The Real Madrid boss, though, does have a major absentee from his matchday squad in domestic competitions for the next few weeks, with Cristiano Ronaldo serving the second of his five-match ban.
?⚽? #RMCity
We’re all set for our first LaLiga match of the season!? @RCDeportivo
? Riazor
? Sunday
⏰ 22:15 CEST#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/6sah9SHQ2B— Real Madrid C.F.?? (@realmadriden) August 19, 2017
The Portuguese superstar accrued the suspension in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup meeting with Barcelona after pushing the match official following his dismissal for a second bookable offence.
While Ronaldo will be a big miss for Zidane’s side, the Frenchman has enough personnel at his disposal to last in the absence of his team’s talisman. Speaking on Ronaldo’s absence during his pre-match press conference, Zidane claimed that the sanction on the Portuguese forward was too harsh, and that they intend to appeal it.
“The other day I said the sanction was too severe. We appealed it and we’ll appeal again and that’s that. All I’m focussed on now is tomorrow’s match and the job we have to do,” Zidane said. Additionally, he also talked about the fitness levels of Gareth Bale, who has struggled with a spate of injuries in the last two seasons.
“He’s fine. He’s training consistently and that’s crucial for him. He had a few niggles last year and then he was out with an injury for four months. He’s had a good pre-season. He’s physically fit, he’s not suffering any discomfort and I hope it’s going to be a big year both for him and for the team.”
Meanwhile, Pepe Mel has a few personnel issues at hand ahead of the visit of Real Madrid with as many as three players missing the season opener. Florin Andone (groin) is likely to be available next week, while Carles Gil (groin) is a long-term absentee. Emre Colak is unavailable due to a one-match ban.
