Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo is being rested for Wednesday's Copa del Rey round of 16 first leg at home to Sevilla -- leading to surprise among some in the local media who have called the decision a risk.
Speaking ahead of the game, Blancos coach Zinedine Zidane did not mention a plan to leave Ronaldo out of his squad for their first fixture of 2017. But the Portuguese star is the only fit senior player not called up for the game at the Bernabeu, with 18-year-old Martin Odegaard promoted from the Castilla youth side to the seniors to make up the numbers.
At the pregame news conference the French coach had been asked about Ronaldo using interviews around his recent personal awards to let his critics know that he was still at the top of the game.
"I don't think [those critics] doubt his potential, because it's tremendous and his statistics show that," Zidane said. "It is only normal that Cristiano creates debate, everyone has their own opinions about him. He's doing well and he's the only person who does what he does. He has to keep doing the same thing, working hard to keep achieving things."
Ronaldo being given the evening off was a surprise, especially as Madrid are currently without Gareth Bale, Lucas Vazquez, Mateo Kovacic, Pepe and skipper Sergio Ramos.
The AS match preview said it was "extreme rotation" and a "strange decision" especially with the whole squad having a rest during the winter break and with what looks like a straightforward La Liga fixture at home to struggling Granada on Saturday.
Marca says that it predicted the decision as Ronaldo needs to manage his playing time to avoid the muscle injuries that he has suffered in previous seasons, and that "for the first time in his career the word 'rest' has entered his vocabulary."