Real Madrid have announced the squad that will travel to England to face Manchester City in their second leg round of 16 ties.
The biggest omissions from the squad were Welsh international, Gareth Bale, and Colombian playmaker, James Rodriguez.
The exclusion of these two high profile players further fuels rumours about their departure. During Zidane’s first tenure as Madrid coach, James was sent on a two-year loan to German giants Bayern Munich.
Both Zidane and James were adamant about the 2014 FIFA World Cup golden boy remaining at Madrid for the 2019/20 season and fighting for his place in the squad.
However, his chances have been ruined by injuries and lack of form. Also, the form of Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, and Federico Valverde has also kept him on the bench.
Whereas, Gareth Bale’s attitude on the bench since the restart of the Spanish league has been well documented.
He continues to show a lack of interest in playing for Zidane. The Welsh Wizard only played one out of nine games for the latter part of La Liga.
However, the chances of Bale leaving Madrid any time soon are quite slim due to his outstanding wages.
James has one year left on his contract and might be sold. He is valued at £29 million and is rumoured to be chased by a host of big clubs in Europe.
Real Madrid and Zidane will be aiming to win their 14th and 4th Champions League title respectively.
But first, they must overturn their 2-1 deficit against Manchester City on August 7, at the Etihad stadium by 8 pm.
