Zidane gives Real Madrid injury update on Marcelo following 5-3 win over Real Betis

Zinedine Zidane faces an anxious wait to discover the results of scans on Marcelo's injury after the Real Madrid left-back was forced off in the first half of the 5-3 victory over Real Betis on Sunday (18 February).

Marcelo had to be replaced by Theo Hernandez in the 30<sup>th minute of the match after going down holding his hamstring.

Zidane hopes the injury is not serious but the Real boss will be sweating on the results of tests on the problem ahead of having his left-back ready for the decisive second leg of the Champions League last 16 at Paris Saint-Germain on 6 March.

"I hope it's nothing serious, we'll have to assess it tomorrow," Zidane confirmed in the press conference following the win over Betis. "He told me he feels like it's just a knock, but we'll have to wait and see."

The news is a fresh concern for the Real boss after last week it emerged that Toni Kroos also suffered "a sprained to the exterior lateral ligament in the left knee" during Los Blancos' 3-1 victory over PSG in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.

Marcelo was arguably Real's best player in the first leg and Zidane will be hoping he can recover as soon as possible, with the club set to face Espanyol (24 February), Alaves (27 February) and Getafe (3 March) before travelling to PSG for the second leg next month.

Meanwhile, Zidane was delighted with his team's performance at the Benito Villamarin Stadium as Real secured their third consecutive victory in an eight-goal thriller.

"It was a real end-to-end affair, a bit of a frantic game, but I enjoyed it. That scoreline shows that our opponents, who are on great form, played very well and dominated proceedings for some spells. I'm not going to focus on the three goals we've conceded, but rather the five we've scored," Zidane added.

"I recognise what a good performance it was from Asensio, his two goals and his overall contribution, but, as always, it's a team effort. We got off to a very good start, then I don't know quite what happened. We dropped deeper and the whole complexion of the game changed.

"After the break, we did the total opposite: we produce a stunning second-half performance and I'm happy with how all of them performed out there. You've got to recognise the job that Marco did and the same goes for Lucas Vázquez, who performed very well on the other flank".

Marco Asensio grabbed the headlines with a brace but Zidane also singled out Cristiano Ronaldo for praise after the Portugal international netted his 10<sup>th goal in his last six appearances.

"He's looking good and we're thrilled to see him scoring and chasing things down up top," Zidane said. " We're heading into the business end of the season and every game is vital. To see all the players looking so sharp is fantastic and I'm very pleased".