Real Madrid squad for Man City: no Bale or James
Zinedine Zidane has omitted Gareth Bale and James Rodríguez for the vital Champions League Last 16 second leg, but captain Sergio Ramos makes the trip.
Zinedine Zidane has summoned 23 of his squad for the trip to Manchester on Thursday, a day before he picks an XI to face Pep Guardiola's City side at the Etihad Stadium.
Bale and James out for Real Madrid
The Champions League is a competition that has offered glimpses of what might have been for Gareth Bale, most notably his overhead kick in the 2018 final against Liverpool, but the Welshman will not make a return to England as he continues to wonder what his place at the club entails.
Another player to miss out is James Rodríguez, who has been on loan with Bayern Munich for the last two seasons and, like Bale, has an uncertain future ahead. Mariano is not involved after testing positive for Covid-19.
Sergio Ramos, however, does have a seat booked on the plane, despite being suspended for the game after seeing red in the first leg. Having the energy and motivation of the captain seems to mean a lot to Zidane, while two players from the youth teams, Altube and Javi Hernández, get some valuable experience.
Zinedine Zidane squad for Manchester City-Real Madrid
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Areola, Altube.
Defenders: Carvajal, Militao, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Mendy, Javi Hernández.
Midfielders: Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde, Isco.
Forwards: Hazard, Benzema, Lucas Vázquez, Jovic, Asensio, Brahim, Vinicius, Rodrygo.