Zinedine Zidane reveals he is hopeful Eden Hazard will be able to feature in Real Madrid’s crunch clash against Liverpool this week – just days after conceding he has been forced to plan for life without injury-hit forward
- Eden Hazard has made just nine appearances this season due to injury problems
- The former Chelsea man may be in line to take on Liverpool this week, however
- Zinedine Zidane has admitted he is hopeful Hazard will play a role in the clash
- Real Madrid boss Zidane recently said he has had to plan for life without Hazard
Zinedine Zidane has admitted that he is hopeful Eden Hazard will be able to play a role in Real Madrid’s crunch Champions League clash against Liverpool.
The two European big-hitters meet on Tuesday for the first leg of their quarter-final tie – but Hazard’s involvement is mired in uncertainty due to a hip problem.
Having admitted recently that he often has to plan without Hazard, boss Zidane revealed the club would monitor the progress of the winger over the coming days.
Eden Hazard may be in line to feature against Liverpool this week, Zinedine Zidane has claimed
‘Hopefully we can get [Federico] Valverde and Hazard back,’ Zidane said.
‘We will see tomorrow and the day after. Today it was not possible but I hope that on Tuesday they can be with us.’
Hazard would hand Madrid a sizeable boost in their hopes of reaching the last four of the competition in a repeat of the pulsating 2018 final.
Real Madrid boss Zidane admitted he is hopeful injury-hit winger Hazard will be ready to play
Hazard is pictured in training before Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final first leg tie
The former Chelsea forward, who moved to the Bernabeu for an eye-watering £88million fee, has made just nine LaLiga appearances this season.
Having suffered from muscle injuries and a bout with coronavirus, Hazard has been forced to simply watch on as his team-mates fight to retain their league crown.
Hazard missed out on Madrid’s win over Eibar after the international break on April 3 – and his last Champions League outing came in the group stages in November.
Although Zidane’s latest comments point towards there still being doubts over Hazard’s involvement this week, Marca have claimed he has recovered fully.
Hazard has been dogged by injuries and Zidane said he has been forced to plan without him
Both Hazard and his club will likely be relieved at the revelation, with the former having made just 36 appearances across all competitions in almost two full seasons.
It was suggested that the Belgium international was adamant that he wanted ankle surgery to try and bring an end to his all-too-often injury woes.
He decided, however, after consulting with specialists, not to go under the knife for a third time to fix the problem.
