Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have all been left out of the Real Madrid squad for Thursday’s Copa del Rey tie against Leganes, with coach Zinedine Zidane opting to rest the star trio known collectively as the ‘BBC’.
Left-back Marcelo was also left out of the squad list announced by the club for the round of 16, first leg at Butarque (2030 GMT).
Benzema is not ready to return yet after a hamstring injury, with sports daily Marca reporting that he could make his comeback in Sunday’s game at home to Deportivo.
Ronaldo has struggled for form domestically this season, and Zidane will again give his fringe players a chance as the reigning European champions look to gain an advantage ahead of next week’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
