Madrid: Defending champions Real Madrid will look to get back to winning ways in front of their home crowd when they start their Champions League campaign against Apoel Nicosia of Cyprus here, Wednesday.
Zinedine Zidane’s men go into the game after two draws in La Liga at Santiago Bernabeu which have provoked fears that despite having signed some promising young talents over the summer, the departure of Alvaro Morata and Mariano Diaz has left them short of a striker.Those worries got worse Saturday when Karim Benzema limped out of the 1-1 draw against Levante with a knee injury that will keep him out of action for around six months.
However the return of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo will be a big boost in easing those worries as he will be available for the first time since his sending off in the Spanish Super Cup which saw him getting a five-match ban for pushing the referee. Ronaldo still has one domestic game to serve of the ban but he is free to face the Cypriot side. His return will definitely give Madrid both firepower and a confidence boost.
Meanwhile, Rafael Varene is still struggling with a muscle injury, while the Brazilian left back Marcelo is available before he too starts a ban for the red card he received for kicking out at a rival in the last game. Luka Modric and Keylor Navas are also back after being rested as part of Zidane’s squad rotation policy at the weekend.
Indo-Asian news service
