Eden Hazard will not make his return against Liverpool, with the Belgian winger left out of the Real Madrid squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash.
Hazard has not featured for Real since March 13 on account of hip complaint.
Manager Zinedine Zidane said at the weekend that the Belgian had responded well to treatment and was hopeful of being able to call on the former Chelsea man for the clash with Liverpool.
Hazard absent from squad
However, the 30-year-old has not done enough in training to prove his well-being, as his name did not feature on the 21-man list.
A boost for Zidane is the return of Federico Valverde, with the midfielder back in the ranks for the first time since the win over Celta Vigo March 20.
Zidane urges caution
Hazard has had a torrid time with injuries since joining Real from Chelsea in the summer of 2019.
With Hazard on the brink of a return to action, Zidane does not want to rush his return and prompt a setback.
"Eden has to be calm," Zidane said at a press conference on Monday, prior to the announcement of the squad. "We never risk a player returning if he's not ready.
"We'll do things little by little and we'll see when he'll play again. That's how it is at the moment."
Can Real remain dominant?
Real’s most recent meeting with Liverpool was the Champions League final in 2018, which they won 3-1.
Their two previous meetings were 1-0 and 3-0 victories for Real in 2014, with Liverpool not having beaten the Spanish champions since 2009.
Liverpool have improved since their clash in 2018, but Real are in fine form and Zidane will be keen to secure an advantage going into the second leg.
Further reading
- Zidane addresses Salah to Real rumours
- Nacho feels future tied to that of Ramos
- Zidane not looking to copy Klopp’s blueprint