Cristiano Ronaldo In Doubt for Real Madrid's La Liga, Champions League Clash
Cristiano Ronaldo is in doubt for Real Madrid's next match as well as for the Champions League encounter against Manchester City due to a thigh injury.
- Associated Press
- Updated: April 23, 2016 03:52 am IST
Highlights
-
Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered a thigh injury.
-
Real Madrid take on Manchester City in the Champions League.
-
Real Madrid are one point behind Barcelona in the La Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid's next match and is in doubt for the team's Champions League semifinal game at Manchester City.
Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said Friday that Ronaldo's injury "wasn't serious," but he could risk aggravating the muscle he pulled in his right leg if he played at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Zidane said he hoped Ronaldo would be back for Tuesday's trip to England to face City in the first leg of the semifinals.
"He knows that he can't be with us tomorrow, both he and the team are thinking about Tuesday," Zidane said.
Shortly before Zidane spoke, Real Madrid issued a statement saying that medical tests revealed that Ronaldo had pulled a muscle in his right thigh during Wednesday's victory over Villarreal.
Real Madrid trails league leader Barcelona and second-place Atletico Madrid by one point with four rounds left. Ronaldo, with 47 goals in 44 matches in all competitions, had played in every league match this season.
Real Madrid will still be favored against Rayo. It has won eight straight league matches and has beaten Rayo in their last 12 meetings.
Atletico Madrid, a title rival in both the Spanish league and Champions League, also has an injury problem. The club said Friday that center back Diego Godin had injured a muscle in his right leg.
Atletico will host Malaga on Saturday, and then hosts Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday.
Godin's regular partner in defense, Jose Gimenez, will return for the match against Malaga after an injury layoff.
"We have players who are playing well and are motivated," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. "I hope Diego recovers soon, but we will go on with the players we have."