Zidane won't gamble with Carvajal and Isco against Bayern
Dani Carvajal and Isco face a race against time to be fit for the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League semi with Bayern Munich.
Real Madrid will not take any risks with injured duo Dani Carvajal and Isco in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, Zinedine Zidane has confirmed.
Right-back Carvajal suffered a thigh problem during the Spanish side's 2-1 victory in the first leg at the Allianz Arena and was withdrawn after 67 minutes. The club also released a statement on Friday to confirm Isco is struggling with a sprained shoulder. He failed to appear for the second half in Munich, with replacement Marco Asensio going on to score the winner for Madrid.
You never know in football
Zidane remains hopeful the pair will be available to feature in the return fixture on Spanish soil, though they face a race against time to prove their fitness. "It's always difficult lose two players like Isco and Carvajal, but at the same time we cannot do anything," he told a media conference. "It is what it is. Let's see how they recover day by day. I'm sure we're not going to risk anything with them or Nacho. If the player is not 100 per cent, he will not be with the group. In football you never know how they are going to recover."
Nacho not fit
Carvajal's injury is particularly troublesome with Nacho having not featured since suffering a thigh injury in the first half of Madrid's 3-0 win over Las Palmas in LaLiga at the end of last month. "He has not fallen back on anything. His progression is normal and what he is doing is doing well," Zidane added. "He has not trained with the team in a month, but day by day he is much better. We do not want to risk anything."
Objective: second place
Prior to facing Bayern again, Madrid host Leganés in domestic action on Saturday. While unable to defend their league title, Zidane is determined to catch rivals Atlético and finish second behind Barcelona. "The goal is the same, try to add points to move into second place," the Frenchman said. "We have five games left and we want to do our best and finish as high as possible."