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Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered a slight strain to his right hamstring and will be rested against Rayo Vallecano today to ensure he is fit to face Manchester City next Tuesday.
After tests carried out at Madrid’s University Hospital in Moraleja the club confirmed the player does not have a tear and they remain confident he will start against City.
Zinedine Zidane has been criticised in recent weeks for being reluctant to rest Real Madrid’s top scorer this season and he admitted that he regretted not taking him off earlier in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Villarreal in midweek.
Ronaldo had played every minute of league football and Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid captain, echoed the concerns when he said:
“Cristinao is very ambitious and he wants to play all the time.” He told Cadena Cope, “he wants to score goals even in his sleep.”
Ronaldo trained away from his teammates yesterday at Real’s Valdebebas training complex but Gareth Bale did train with the first team.
He has recovered from a calf strain and is expected to take some part in Real Madrid’s away fixture today against Rayo Vallecano.
Bale may come back in for Ronaldo as a direct replacement, but Zidane could opt to heavily rotate with Tuesday’s game on the horizon.
Both Bale and Ronaldo are expected to start up front against Manchester City alongside French striker Karim Benzema. The trio have already scored 70 goals this season in the league — Manuel Pellegrini’s team have only scored 62. — SportsMail.
derick.khumalo