Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo returned to training on Sunday as he looks to prove his fitness ahead of the Champions League clash with Manchester City.
The Portuguese international missed the first leg at the Etihad last week with a hamstring injury, and naturally there were fears that he could miss the second clash if the problem persisted.
According to Real’s official website, the 31-year-old participated in the first half of the training session on Sunday before working alone for the remainder of the day as he looks to overcome the injury concern.
With 16 goals in 10 appearances in the competition so far this season, Ronaldo is crucial to the Spanish side’s chances of advancing to the final.
Particularly given their uninspiring attacking display last time out, they will benefit significantly from having him back in the side alongside the likes of Gareth Bale to give City something else to think about.
Manuel Pellegrini returns to his former stomping ground confident that his side can produce an upset, as having looked defensively sound for the most part in the first meeting, they will possess a real threat on the counter with Sergio Aguero leading the line.
Ronaldo’s absence will be felt by Real in front of their home supporters in such a big game, and with Karim Benzema also forced off with a hamstring injury last week, Zinedine Zidane will be desperate to get as close to his full-strength team as possible come Wednesday night.