Cristiano Ronaldo also in doubt for LaLiga trip to Espanyol
The club's all-time top scorer has the flu and may well be rested ahead of a hectic fixture schedule. Gareth Bale is also unlikely to play.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid live English
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale didn’t train with the rest of the squad ahead of Sunday’s trip to Espanyol and now it seems that both are unlikely to play.
Ronaldo laid low by flu
Ronaldo is suffering from flu – he trained alone in the gym yesterday as a precautionary measure – and could well be rested by Zidane with one eye on a grueling upcoming fixture list which will see Real Madrid play four games in the space of nine days. The expectation is that Ronaldo could return to 100% in time for the match against Villarreal in mid-week.
Bale continues his recovery
Bale continues to recover from the knock he took towards the end of the first half of Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Sporting on Wednesday night and will not travel with the squad to Barcelona.
Changes all round for Zidane
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who was already considering rotating his squad, is set to name a much-changed starting line-up. Lucas Vázquez and Asensio could come in for Bale and Cristiano, alongside either Benzema or Morata. James is likely to start in midfield while Kovacic and Isco could replace regular Casemiro, Kroos or Modric.
