Real Madrid: Isco and Nacho back in training Sunday

Real Madrid received some good news Sunday as both midfielder, Isco, and center back, Nacho, returned to full training with the team. With this, Zinedine Zidane might have more players at his disposal for Tuesday’s match than he previously thought.

For the first time in nearly a month, Nacho Fernandez was training with the first-team. Recovering from his first injury in his senior career, the center back has been dearly missed. Zidane has had to compensate for the Spaniard’s absence by playing Jesús Vallejo more than he would like to.

Vallejo started in the second leg against Juventus in the Champions League quarterfinal and his immaturity showed. Zizou has gone as far as playing Vallejo alongside central defensive midfielder, Casemiro, at center back.

Casemiro played well as a defender against Leganés Saturday, but was clearly uncomfortable playing exclusively defense.

Isco, on the other hand, picked up a shoulder injury in the first-leg of the semifinal in Munich. While it is hard to point to the instance he was injured, it occurred some time during the first-half, forcing the ‘bandy-legged bandit’ off after just 45 minutes.

Isco played well early in the match against Bayern in the first leg, but so did Marco Asensio. While Isco might be fit enough to return to training, Zizou might be hesitant to put him in as a starter on Tuesday.

Considering the way Asensio played in relief of the talented midfielder, the manager might elect to start the younger playmaker in this match.

As for Nacho, the best case scenario is likely a spot on the bench. After Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane were given the weekend off in order to be fully rested for the deciding leg of the tournament.

Next: Zinedine Zidane calls for the fan’s support ahead of the Bayern Munich second leg

While both Isco and Nacho were in training Sunday, Dani Carvajal was not seen on the pitch as he worked with trainers inside the facility. Dani is all but guaranteed to not be back for at least a couple weeks after picking up a hamstring injury in the first-leg.

Despite not having the right-back, Real Madrid is much healthier as a whole than many expected they would be coming into this week.

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more great Real Madrid coverage!