Cristiano Ronaldo will not play the Audi Cup with Real Madrid. The Portuguese forward has not been included in Rafa Benitez's squad to travel to Munich due to a diagnosed back pain after the last training session. The club has announced this on their website, confirming that Karim Benzema will also not be part of the expedition due to a thigh overload. Lucas Silva and Coentrao are the other absences in the trip.
Cristiano joined Real Madrid's preseason on July 12th in Melbourne. Since then, he has played in the four friendlies and scored a goal against Manchester City. This Sunday, he traveled with several Madrid players and Florentino Perez to Oporto to celebrate his agent's wedding, Jorge Mendes. On the other hand, Benzema has also participated in all the friendlies without any outstanding performances. The Frenchman has been linked with a possible transfer to Arsenal in the transfer market, with the English club reportedly willing to offer about 65 million euros, although their manager, Arsene Wenger, prefers not to comment on that interest.
The following players will be available for Real Madrid against Tottenham on Tuesday (18:15):
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Casilla, Rubén Yáñez.
Defenders: Varane, Pepe, Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo, Carvajal, Arbeloa, Danilo.
Midfielders: Kroos, James, Bale, Casemiro, Modric, Cheryshev, Isco, Illarramendi, Marco Asensio, Odegaard.
Forwards: Jesé, Lucas Vázquez, and Borja Mayoral.