"I'm going to play," says Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid star to make his first appearance since the Euro final.
Cristiano Ronaldo to play his first game since injuring his knee at Euro 2016 when Real Madrid square off against Osasuna at the Bernabeu on Saturday, Zinedine Zidane confirmed.
The 31-year-old sustained a knee injury in Euro 2016 final, which caused him to miss the first two La Liga matches against Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo.
Zidane said in his press conference on Friday: “He is back from his injury and happy to be with us. It is his first game, 60 days since his last game, so we must just give him time. He will play tomorrow.”
It has been reported the Portuguese captain would welcome being rested more to elude injuries and fatigue down the road. ” We have not agreed anything. Cristiano is Cristiano,” Zidane added.
“I will try so that he is with us every day, and ready to play. Cristiano is an important player for this team. I want him always with me, nothing else.”
Ronaldo reassured his availability to play on Saturday at the release of his new fragrance ‘Cristiano Ronaldo.’ The forward told the media, “I’m going to play.”
Messi fit to play if selected
In other news, Barcelona’s head coach Luis Enrique has confirmed Lionel Messi is fit to play against Alaves on Saturday.
‘He is in condition to be able to play [against Alaves],” Luis Enrique affirmed in his news conference.
“I’ve spoke with him like I speak with all my players and we know how he is.
Messi suffered a groin injury while on international duty with Argentina that held the forward from facing Venezuela.
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“We have to analyse the situation and keep in mind what’s best for the player and make sure he’s in the best condition possible.
“There was a report which said what the player has and we have had to evaluate things from there.
“We have a lot of commitments throughout the season and we always focus on [the best] for the player,” Luis Enrique added.