Zidane – Ronaldo will be available for the UCL final
Real Madrid FC manager Zinedine Zidane has expressed confidence that Los Blancos’ talismanic forward and Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo will recover in time for the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool in Kiev.
Ronaldo appeared to suffer a sprain during the El Classico clash on Sunday and was a taken off in the early minutes of the second half of the game to avoid any major complications.
However, Ronaldo will miss out on the opportunity to boost his goal tally in the La Liga as he is set to miss the game against Sevilla on Wednesday, as well as the final game of the La Liga season against Villareal on May 19.
According to Zidane in the course of an interview with newsmen on Tuesday, the Real Madrid forward is on his way to full recovery. He said:
“What is incredible is that (Ronaldo) is walking after 48 hours and that shows his ambition, but I’m not sure if he will be available for the Villarreal game,” Zidane told reporters on Tuesday.
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“Everyone will be available for the final, I’m telling you, 150 percent. Everyone will be back, Cristiano, Isco and (Dani) Carvajal.”
Real Madrid do not have anything to lose on the domestic scene, and will now focus on the UEFA Champions League where their quest to win the trophy for a third consecutive time will be challenged by Premier League outfit Liverpool.
If they emerge victoriously on the night, they’ll have another record 13th UCL title to their name. Speaking on the final, Zidane said:
“It’s a final and it will be very intense. A spectacular game with chances for both teams,” Zidane said.
“They have a bit of everything, strength, technique, speed, they are English and they defend and they fight, they know how to do it.”
When questioned on the quality and the threat that Egypt international and Liverpool attacker, Mohammed Salah might pose on the night, he praised the Egyptian whilst dismissing the ‘Ronaldo vs Salah comparison’ bandwagon. Place your bets against these mighty goal machines with this site
The Frenchman replied:
“I don’t know if Salah will be able to win the Ballon d’Or, but he has had a great season,” he said.
“The game will not be Cristiano against Salah, it will be Madrid against Liverpool.”
