Zidane to make changes - How Madrid could line up v Shakhtar
Zinedine Zidane may look to make a number of changes to his starting XI for Real Madrid's Champions League crunch clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.
His side succumbed to a 2-1 home loss to Alaves on Saturday, a match in which the team appeared completely flat and who were deservedly beaten in the end.
The Champions League group is still in the balance and a good result is needed in Kiev to ensure that Los Blancos can go into their final match in a positive position.
Real Madrid: Squad, FC Ratings, Matches, Formations
Karim Benzema wasn't quite ready to face Alaves but is among the travelling party to Kiev and it will be no surprise to see him reinstated in attack. Eden Hazard, meanwhile, limped out of the Alaves match, injured again.
It's a dreadful run for the Belgian at the moment in terms of keeping himself fit, and though this injury doesn't seem to be a serious one, he won't take part against Shakhtar.
Zidane's problem is that all of his wide forwards have been totally inconsistent, but he will be forced to pick two of them. Who he picks from Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and Marco Asensio is anyone's guess, particularly with Lucas Vazquez still required to fill in at right-back.
Madrid's injury list remains extensive. Sergio Ramos is still working his way back, while on the right Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Odriozola are both still out.
Luka Jovic remains unavailable due to a positive covid test after coming back from international duty, while Fede Valverde is a long-term concern.