Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane will seemingly be handed a double injury boost ahead of their clash with Unionistas in the Copa del Rey this week.
Los Blancos travel to face the minnows on Wednesday night, and it could give Zidane a chance to rotate his squad and give others a chance to impress.
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It comes after a 2-1 win over Sevilla at the weekend, a game which both Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez weren’t involved in as they weren’t even selected in the matchday squad.
According to AS, it had been suggested prior to the game that neither were suffering with an injury problem and so it was down to a technical decision, but given that they had trained all week, it didn’t seem to add up.
To add more confusion to the situation, AS reported on Monday that the pair were both back in training while it’s specifically noted that Zidane revealed that the duo were carrying minor knocks and so that’s why they didn’t feature against Sevilla.
Time will tell if either play any part in midweek, but the uncertainty over their fitness will surely only serve as an opportunity for further speculation to surface over whether or not they are being snubbed by Zidane or if they are genuinely carrying injury issues.
That said, the fact that they were back training as usual to start the week would suggest that Real Madrid will be handed a double boost in time for the encounter with Unionistas, and it could be an ideal opportunity to give them both playing time to work on their match fitness and prove their worth.
The fixtures come thick and fast for Real Madrid in the coming weeks, as they’re back in action against Real Valladolid on Sunday night before hosting city rivals Atletico Madrid on February 1.