Cristiano Ronaldo trained alone on Thursday as he faces a race to be fit for the Clasico against Barcelona on Saturday. Real Madrid star Ronaldo suffered a calf injury in the Club World Cup final win over Gremio and did not train at all at the start of the week. He has returned gingerly to action, but faces a fight to be fully fit for the biggest La Liga game of the season so far.
Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo had trained alone both with and without the ball, while his team mates took part in the main session. Preparations are in full swing for the Clasico, which kicks off at 1pm local time on Saturday, providing the final game before the Christmas break for both Real and Barca. Real will be counting on their talisman being fit for the game, after he suffered a calf strain in the 1-0 win over South American champions Gremio in the UAE last Sunday.
Zinedine Zidane’s side are 11 points behind Barcelona in the race for the Spanish title, and need to beat the league leaders to have any realistic chance of clawing back the deficit. While Zidane may be without Ronaldo, Gareth Bale could return to the starting line-up after he trained with the squad on Thursday. He was accompanied by the other member of the feared ‘BBC’ attacking trio, Karim Benzema, who could also start against Barca. The three of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo have barely played together this season, and Zidane will hope to have them together against their deadliest rivals.