Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo will play the full 90 minutes against boyhood club Sporting Lisbon as he steps up his return from injury in the Champions League on Wednesday, coach Zinedine Zidane said.
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Indeed, for a club with such a keen sense of history, there will be an even greater desire to defend their title and become the first team in the Champions League era to win the trophy two years running.
“It is the team that formed me, that I have in my heart, but I play for Real Madrid now”, said Ronaldo. “I wanted to draw Sporting again because I think they have a good team, they have a good coach (Jorge Jesus) and it will be another special moment in my life”.
“It’s a special match, it’s a special team”, he told the Uefa website.
Ronaldo is just seven goals shy of a Champions League century having top-scored in the competition for the past four seasons as Madrid begin their defence of the Champions League at home to Sporting on Wednesday. “We know it’s a very hard competition.but we think positive, that it’s possible to win it again”.
Ronaldo played 65 minutes against Osasuna, his first appearance since injuring his knee in Portugal’s Euro 2016 final win over France in July, and is expected to start against Sporting.
“I speak with Cristiano about other things, not how many minutes he’ll play. because if you ask him then he’ll tell you 90”.
“We’ll see how the competition unfolds”.
“But even though I never saw Eusebio play, I would put him at number one for everything he stands for, for the love he showed me, his friendship and his advice”.
Zidane has a near complete squad to choose from with only Keylor Navas and Fabio Coentrao missing out, so Ronaldo could start alongside Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema up front for the first time this season. “I’ve experienced the Super Cup in Cardiff before and it would be wonderful to experience an actual Champions League final in Cardiff as well”, said Bale last week. Club Brugge are the only Belgian club ever to have reached the European Cup final, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley in 1978.
Two titles in only three years and the possibility to lift their 12nd Champions League title in Cardiff.
Sevilla won the Europa League for a third consecutive time after its group-stage exit and is also coming off a 2-1 Liga win at home against Las Palmas.
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Kane ended a nine-game goal drought by netting for the first time this season and he believes the result was emblematic of the positive mood at Tottenham.
