Zinedine Zidane will miss Brazilian midfielder Casemiro and French striker Karim Benzema for the crucial Champions League match against Manchester City.
The Los Blancos manager has confirmed neither of them have been able to recover from their muscle injuries and are not fit to feature in the return leg of the semifinals.
Casemiro’s absence is especially disturbing, as he is the only defensive midfielder in the squad. Zidane will have to pick a more offensive player, thus compromising the balance of the team. The Brazilian has been a key player in Los Merengues’ great defensive performances in the last few weeks.
Mateo Kovacic and Isco are the main candidates to replace Casemiro, although Lucas Vazquez could also be chosen to feature in midfield.
Meanwhile, Benzema will most likely be replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is expected to feature as number 9, leaving the winger role to one of the youngsters: either Jese Rodriguez or Lucas Vazquez.
That’s a great loss for Real Madrid… they have to recover soon as possible… #goldengoals!!!