Ronaldo Back for Madrid, Abidal Out for Barcelona Before Face-Off

Cristiano Ronaldo has officially begun to train with his teammates in Spain and may possibly be able to partake in the match against Barcelona on the 29^th. Real Madrid will host Racing Santander in the Spanish Primera Division and FC Zurich in the Champions League before heading to Barcelona. Expect Ronaldo to sit out those games to make sure that his condition is optimal for the match against Barcelona. The decision to play him or not will most likely be made gameday

Ronaldo's True Importance
Even with the superstar filled squad at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo is still a very integral part of the team. After injuring his right ankle in Real Madrid's Champions League match against Marseille, Cristiano Ronaldo has missed 9 games to date and is expected to miss another 2 matches. Since losing Ronaldo, Real Madrid has had a record of 4 wins, 2 draws, and 3 loses. With Ronaldo on the squad, they have a perfect record at 7-0-0.

With these statistics in mind, expect Real Madrid to do everything they possibly can to make sure that Cristiano Ronaldo is fit and ready to play against Barcelona, a match that faces the top 2 teams and will determine who will be in the top spot at the end of the week. The decision to play him or not will still probably be made on gameday, as aggravating his injury again will hurt the team more than playing Barcelona without Ronaldo.

Barcelona Struck With Abidal Injury
Cristiano Ronaldo's probable return for the face-off between the two giants will benefit Madrid, as will the injury of Eric Abidal. Whether Abidal will miss the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid is still not certain. Having injured his thigh while playing for France in the World Cup Playoff against Northern Ireland, Abidal is certain to miss the Spanish Primera Division match away to Athletic Bilbao, but more importantly will miss the UEFA Champions League tie when Barcelona host Inter Milan on the Tuesday 24^th. A loss on Tuesday could leave the defending champions in a very questionable position as to advancing to the next round.

Sources:
ESPN.com
UEFA.com