Mendy & Ramos to return to Real Madrid’s team for Chelsea away leg

Mendy and Ramos return

Real Madrid were missing some key figures when they drew 1-1 with Chelsea in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final clash.

After a Christian Pulisic goal, Karim Benzema scored the equalizer to take the tie to London on a knife edge.

Zinedine Zidane was forced into using Brazilian Marcelo as a left-wing back in an unorthodox back-5 system.

Ferland Mendy was not fit for the match, and without Sergio Ramos, the lack of defensive solidity was clearly a concern for the French coach.

Initial reports suggested that Mendy would also not be ready for the second-leg.

🚨| Mendy is OUT of the game against Osasuna and a DOUBT for the game vs Chelsea. @AranchaMOBILE [🎖]

— Madrid Xtra. (@MadridXtra) April 29, 2021

However, it has now seemingly been confirmed that he, along with Ramos, should make the trip to west London.

“Sergio Ramos returns to training with the team and could reappear against Osasuna. Carvajal has broken down again and says goodbye to the remainder of the season and probably to the Euros.

“Nacho only has one hit and will be available tomorrow Mendy comes to the game against Chelsea,” wrote COPE journalist Miguel Angel Diaz.

Sergio Ramos vuelve a entrenarse con el equipo y podría reaparecer contra Osasuna.

Carvajal ha vuelto a romperse y dice adiós a lo que queda de temporada y probablemente a la Eurocopa.

Nacho solo tiene un golpe y estará mañana disponible

Mendy llega al partido ante el Chelsea.

— Miguel Ángel Díaz (@miguelitocope) April 29, 2021

Dani Carvajal came off in the game against the Blues, with Alvaro Odriozola the natural replacement. He is now expected to miss the rest of the season, and the Euros, after suffering yet another injury.

Spain boss Luis Enrique will not be pleased.

Zidane set to rotate

Real Madrid find themselves in third in the La Liga title race, behind both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

Despite sitting 2nd in the table, Barcelona have a game in hand, which they will play tonight against Granada.

An expected win would put Ronald Koeman’s side at the league’s summit, and oust Atletico Madrid from their long-enjoyed perch, following defeat to Athletic Club.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 16: Head Coach Ronald Koeman of FC Barcelona looks on during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at Camp Nou on February 16, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Zidane’s side found themselves unable to overcome Real Betis last weekend, and could rue further dropped points.

With 11th-placed Osasuna to come this weekend, Spanish media expect heavy rotation on the part of Zidane, to avoid fatigue.

Not only is Chelsea in midweek a massive clash, but a meeting with Sevilla, who sit just 1 point behind Los Blancos themselves, will follow next weekend, amid an electric finish to the Spanish title race.

MADRID, SPAIN – OCTOBER 05: Toni Kroos of FC Real Madrid looks on during the Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Granada CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 5, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)

Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are expected to be given some rest. Fede Valverde is awaiting another Covid-19 test, having previously returned a positive result.

Therefore, Castilla, Real’s second string side and academy gateway team, are likely to see plenty of representation at the weekend.

Why Manchester City are likely to heavily rotate for Arsenal this weekend

Thomas Tuchel suggests he will continue to rotate Chelsea squad following Burnley win

This article was edited by
Conor Laird.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City FC	33	45	77
2	Manchester United FC	33	29	67
3	Leicester City FC	33	22	62
4	Chelsea FC	33	20	58
5	West Ham United FC	33	10	55
6	Liverpool FC	33	16	54
7	Tottenham Hotspur FC	33	18	53
8	Everton FC	32	4	52
9	Leeds United	33	0	47
10	Arsenal FC	33	7	46
11	Aston Villa FC	32	9	45
12	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	33	-13	41
13	Crystal Palace FC	32	-20	38
14	Burnley FC	33	-15	36
15	Southampton FC	32	-18	36
16	Newcastle United FC	33	-18	36
17	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	33	-6	34
18	Fulham FC	33	-18	27
19	West Bromwich Albion	33	-34	25
20	Sheffield United FC	33	-38	17

Player	Team	Goals
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	21
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	20
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	16
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	15
Bamford, Patrick	Leeds United	14
Calvert-Lewin, Dominic	Everton FC	14
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	13
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	13
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa FC	12
Gundogan, Ilkay	Manchester City FC	12
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	10
Wilson, Callum	Newcastle United FC	10
Ings, Danny	Southampton FC	10
Wood, Chris	Burnley FC	10
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace FC	10
Iheanacho, Kelechi	Leicester City FC	10
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	9
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	9
Mahrez, Riyad	Manchester City FC	9
Barnes, Harvey	Leicester City FC	9

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Maguire, Harry	Manchester United FC	0	10
Gallagher, Conor	West Bromwich Albion	0	9
Lundstram, John	Sheffield United FC	1	8
Bellerin, Hector	Arsenal FC	0	8
Milivojevic, Luka	Crystal Palace FC	1	7
Luiz, Douglas	Aston Villa FC	0	7
Holgate, Mason	Everton FC	0	8
Hayden, Isaac	Newcastle United FC	0	8
Soucek, Tomas	West Ham United FC	1	6
McGoldrick, David	Sheffield United FC	0	7
McGinn, John	Aston Villa FC	0	7
Shaw, Luke	Manchester United FC	0	7
Neves, Ruben	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	0	7
Reid, Bobby	Fulham FC	0	7
Hojbjerg, Pierre	Tottenham Hotspur FC	0	7
Evans, Jonny	Leicester City FC	0	7
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	6
Alioski, Ezgjan	Leeds United	0	7
Kante, N`Golo	Chelsea FC	0	7
Andersen, Joachim	Fulham FC	1	6

Player	Team	Assists
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	13
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	11
Grealish, Jack	Aston Villa FC	10
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City FC	10
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	9
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	8
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	7
Cresswell, Aaron	West Ham United FC	7
Bamford, Patrick	Leeds United	6
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	6
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	6
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	6
Ward-Prowse, James	Southampton FC	6
Harrison, Jack	Leeds United	6
Werner, Timo	Chelsea FC	6
Raphinha	Leeds United	6
Neto, Pedro	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	6
Gross, Pascal	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	6
Silva, Bernardo	Manchester City FC	6
McNeil, Dwight	Burnley FC	6