Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane will reportedly face an anxious wait to determine if he’ll be without a number of key individuals this weekend.
After successfully lifting the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday, Los Blancos return to La Liga action on Saturday as they host Sevilla.
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Level on points with rivals Barcelona at the top of the table, they can’t afford to slip up in what is shaping up to be a thrilling title battle this season, and so in order to have the best possible chance of avoiding one this week, Zidane would have been hoping for good news on the injury and fitness front.
According to AS, he’ll be handed a boost with the news that Gareth Bale returned to full training on Tuesday after shaking off an illness, but both Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema remained out of the group session.
Further, it’s noted that Sergio Ramos is expected to be sidelined for another week after picking up a sprained ankle in the win over Atletico Madrid, while Luka Jovic is still struggling with a blister on his foot and isn’t expected to resume normal training until later in the week.
In turn, it remains to be seen if those who are closing in on a return are able to get enough training done to show Zidane that they’re ready to be in contention this weekend, as the French tactician will no doubt avoid taking any unnecessary risks by rushing them back.
While Bale has managed just two goals and two assists in 14 appearances so far this season, he’ll add a welcome new dynamic to the Real Madrid attack with his pace and directness, with Zidane having to use Luka Modric and Isco in advanced roles to support Jovic last week.
Time will if they can get the Serbian international back in time for Sevilla, while as per the report above, Benzema is perhaps the only other star name to be in contention of returning to offer Zidane another timely boost as he is tipped to train with the group at some point this week too.