Real Madrid’s injury woes show no signs of stopping as they prepare to face APOEL Nicosia tonight at the GSP Stadium for match number five in the UEFA Champions League Group H.
As per the official squad list released by the European Champions, Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Mateo Kovacic and Keylor Navas have been left out of the squad, with the Spaniard being the latest on the injury table after picking up a nose injury in the game against Atletico Madrid.
Gareth Bale, Keylor Navas and Mateo Kovacic are still rehabilitating from their respective injuries. Their absence isn’t likely to cause Zidane & co. too many problems, given the sheer amount of quality within the squad. Zidane may even choose to give some fringe players an opportunity tonight.
The former Galactico was asked about Karim Benzema’s form. The striker has only scored 2 goals this season and is yet to score in the Champions League.
“He’s at the front of the queue when it comes to wanting to give more,” he said. “And he knows that he’s got more to offer. I’m here to try and help all of my players, not just Karim.”
We may see the likes of Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vasquez all get a chance to feature tonight. Dani Carvajal started his first game since recovering from his heart problem last week and Zidane may choose to rest the Spaniard in favour of Achraf Hakimi.
The Frenchman however, was wary of the threat that the Cypriots pose at home. In his pre-match press conference, he said,”They’re a good team and they’ve have proved that. They’re deserving of their place in the Champions League and they performed very well at the Bernabéu. We’ll be in for a tough test tomorrow night and we’ll have to be ready.”