Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been included in the squad for Wednesday's Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg at home to Celta Vigo -- marking a change in policy as he was rested by coach Zinedine Zidane for both games in the previous round of the competition.
Zidane left Ronaldo out completely from the matchday squads for both recent Copa del Rey ties against Sevilla, with the Frenchman appearing to be managing the playing time of the Portugal captain as he nears his 32nd birthday.
The Madrid coach would neither confirm nor deny whether Ronaldo would face Celta at his prematch news conference, but the former Manchester United player was included in the 19-man squad for the game, with the club's Twitter account highlighting his excellent record of 13 goals in just five appearances against the Galicians at the Santiago Bernabeu.
?ﾟﾔﾥ?
Cristiano Ronaldo ? @rccelta_oficial:? Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
? Games / Partidos: 5⃣
⚽ Goals / Goles: 1⃣3⃣#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/qO8n6rsY9P- Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) January 17, 2017
If Ronaldo does play against Celta it will be his first Copa del Rey appearance since January 2015 -- when he presented his Ballon d'Or trophy to the Bernabeu before kickoff, but was then upstaged by Fernando Torres, who scored early in both halves as Atletico Madrid knocked Madrid out 4-2 on aggregate.
Ronaldo was not involved in December 2015's Copa del Rey fiasco when Madrid fielded an illegible player and were subsequently thrown out of the competition as he was not called up for the round-of-32 first leg at Cadiz.
Zidane has named a strong squad for Wednesday's game, with right-back Dani Carvajal the only available player to be rested. Fit-again Isco returns to the setup and could start in midfield, while James Rodriguez, Pepe and Gareth Bale all still remain sidelined through injury.