Ron, Bale back for Napoli clash

MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were named Monday in Real Madrid’s Champions League squad for the last-16 second-leg tie against Napoli after missing the weekend win over Eibar.

Fourt-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo was sidelined with an injury which coach Zinedine Zidane described as “nothing serious”. Also back in the squad for Tuesday’s clash is Welshman Bale after completing a onematch ban.

Both were absent from Saturday’s 4-1 victory at Eibar in which Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez were outstanding. Reigning European champions Real lead Napoli 3-1 going into the second leg in Italy and tipped as favourites for a quarterfinal berth. Meanwhile, Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri said the Italians have little chance of overturning a first-leg deficit, claiming Real are “almost impossible” to beat. “It’s an almost impossible game for us because they score all the time,” Sarri told media at Napoli’s training ground a day ahead of Tuesday’s last-16 clash at the San Paolo, estimating his side’s chances of success “three per cent”. If Napoli are to go through on away goals, the Serie A side will have to do what no team has managed since Wolfsburg beat Madrid in a quarterfinal first leg nearly a year and 46 games ago — keep a clean sheet against the reigning Champions League winners.

Napoli, looking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, have been playing arguably the best football in Italy this season, thanks in large part to on-form Belgium midfielder Dries Mertens. During a four-month injury absence for Napoli’s Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik, Mertens was pushed up front and has responded by taking his league tally to 18 goals.

Mertens is expected to start up front, flanked by Lorenzo Insigne and former Madrid forward Jose Callejon, in Sarri’s preferred 4-3-3 formation.