Zinedine Zidane, the head coach of Real Madrid, is confident that Cristiano Ronaldo will be ready to face Liverpool in the Champions League final on 26 May.
Ronaldo scored against Barcelona on Sunday but came off at half-time after injuring his ankle in the 2-2 draw at Camp Nou. The Portugal striker will miss tomorrow’s La Liga clash against Sevilla. He could also be ruled out of the games against Celta Vigo on 12 May and Villarreal a week later.
Real will also be waiting on the fitness of Dani Carvajal and Isco, but Zidane says all three players will be ready to play against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side in the Kiev final.
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Zidane told Marca: “What’s incredible is that he [Ronaldo] is walking after 48 hours and it shows his ambition, but I don’t know if he’ll be available for Villarreal [on 19 April]. Everyone [including Dani Carvajal and Isco] will be available for the final... 150%.”
Much of the pre-final focus has been on Ronaldo and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has scored 43 goals this season and is a rival for Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or crown.
Zidane was not keen to play up the battle of the two star strikers. He added: “I don’t know if [Mohamed] Salah will be in contention for the Ballon d’Or, but he’s had a great season. The game won’t be Cristiano against Salah, it will be Real Madrid against Liverpool.
“It will be a spectacular game, open and with chances for both teams. What matters most for us is planning, showing up and making things difficult for them. It’s a final and it will be very intense.
“We know what they have – a bit of everything, physical, technical, speed… they’re English and they defend and they fight.”
