Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been rested for Tuesday's La Liga trip to Espanyol, as coach Zinedine Zidane continues to keep the 33-year-old fresh ahead of next week's Champions League round-of-16 second leg at Paris Saint-Germain.
Ronaldo has scored eight times in his last two visits to Espanyol, and reached 299 La Liga goals with a double in Saturday's 4-0 La Liga win at home to Alaves. But Zidane suggested at his prematch news conference that the World Cup at the end of the season was also a reason for the Portugal captain to manage his minutes.
Tuesday morning's squad announcement confirmed Ronaldo was excused a second consecutive away game, while club captain Sergio Ramos returns from suspension and young winger Marco Asensio is available again having missed the weekend's fixture due to having had a wisdom tooth removed.
📋 Our 19-man squad for tonight's match against @RCDEspanyol!
— Real Madrid C.F.🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@realmadriden) February 27, 2018
🔁 @Casemiro won't travel due to a stomach problem and has been replaced by @oscararnaiz10. pic.twitter.com/TJe2CdnGYB
Toni Kroos (knee), Marcelo (hamstring) and Luka Modric (hamstring) all still remain sidelined, just a week ahead of the UCL return game at the Parc des Princes. Midfielder Casemiro dropped out of the squad at the last minute due to a reported stomach problem, with Castilla youngster Oscar Rodriguez, 19, travelling instead.
Espanyol's last 20 games against Madrid have brought 17 defeats and three draws, and at his prematch news conference Espanyol coach Quique Sanchez Flores said that whatever team Zidane picked would present a big challenge, although the team's style of play was different if playmaker Isco started.
"It doesn't matter who plays," Sanchez Flores said. "We expect to face a confident, secure team... Maybe Isco changes their way of playing, more to feet, without him it is more direct, but there is no difference whether it is Asensio, Lucas [Vazquez] or [Gareth] Bale who plays."
Former Madrid player Sanchez Flores said it was not a coincidence that Madrid's form had picked up in recent weeks with Ronaldo back scoring heavily again.
"What happens with Ronaldo, happens with Madrid," he said. "When there is doubts about the team, there are doubts about Cristiano."