It is safe to say that Zinedine Zidane has been working miracles for Real Madrid this season given the number of injuries the team has been forced to deal with. Now, with the crucial game against Atlético around the corner, the French tactician will have to pull one more of those miracles off to put up a competitive squad against Los Colchoneros on Sunday.
The Spanish giants revealed earlier today that Mariano, their only fit striker, will not be available for the crunch tie against the league leaders. The Dominican Republic forward will not be around after picking up an injury to his left thigh, which will add him to the list of unavailable players for the Madrid Derby.
Mariano had been snubbed for most of the season by Zinedine Zidane, but Luka Jovic's departure on loan and Karim Benzema's recent injury forced Zizou to give him more minutes on the pitch, to which the player has responded with one goal in over 460 minutes.
Mariano will join players such as Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos, and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines for Sunday's game, leaving Zinedine Zidane almost no alternatives at center forward. If Karim Benzema is unable to recover from his injury problems, then Zizou could be forced to start the game with Hugo Duro, Real Madrid Castilla's striker, at No.9.
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