Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo and Toni Kroos return to Real Madrid squad ahead of Real Betis clash

Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo are back in Real Madrid's 19-man squad to face Real Betis on Wednesday night (20 September) after serving their respective suspensions.

Toni Kroos is also available after missing the weekend victory over Real Sociedad but Zinedine Zidane has been forced to leave out all Theo Hernandez, Jesus Vallejo, Karim Benzema and Mateo Kovacic due to different injuries.

Ronaldo is yet to play a La Liga game this term after he was hit with a five-game ban for pushing the referee during the Spanish Super Cup first-leg victory over Barcelona on 13 August.

The Portugal international was however available when Real Madrid hosted APOEL Nicosia in their Champions League opener last week, scoring twice to lead Los Blancos to a 3-0 victory.

"We're happy to have Cristiano Ronaldo back. I hope it's the last time we're without him. He looks happy, very happy, because he likes to play, to be with the group and his teammates. Tomorrow he's back at the Santiago Bernabéu and every players likes that," Zidane said in the press conference ahead of the game.

"I think that stats speak for themselves when we're talking about what Cristiano contributes. There's almost no player in the world who gets as many goals and as decisive ones as him and Messi. That's what makes the difference. It's going to be difficult for him to improve on those impressive statistics but he's ambitious and I wouldn't be surprised".

Marcelo also missed the weekend trip to Anoeta after being sent off during the 1-1 draw against Levante for kicking out at Jefferson Lerma. The Brazilian left-back was initially handed a two-game ban but the Appeal Committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) reduced the punishment and so he is back to face Betis on Wednesday night.

Marcelo's return is a timely boost for the Real Madrid manager after Theo suffered a shoulder injury at San Sebastian on Sunday which could keep him on the sidelines for around two weeks.

Kroos also missed the game at San Sebastian due to a minor injury problem but he is also back in the squad and should be ready to start in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, Vallejo, Benzema and Kovacic remain on the sidelines, with the Frenchman and the Croatian expected to be out of action until next month at the earliest.

Zidane hopes the return of three key players will help Real Madrid reduce the seven-point gap opened up La Liga leaders Barcelona, who on Tuesday night secured another comfortable 6-1 win over Eibar.

"I want the same concentration and intensity we had at Anoeta, and the players also want to repeat the performance against Real Sociedad, playing with intensity from the beginning to the end. It's what we're going to try to do tomorrow. We're very concerned about the intensity because if we put it in, we can cause any team problems. It's the start of the season and I know that Betis play good football, along the lines of the philosophy of the coach. They've got good players and we're expecting a difficult match tomorrow," the Real Madrid boss added.

"La Liga is the most difficult league in the world and that's why it's more special to win. I remember saying that my happiest day was after winning the league. The Champions League is also very important, but the players know that our day to day is the league and it's the most beautiful and most complicated."