This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
Real Madrid's Eden Hazard is set to make his highly anticipated La Liga debut against Levante on Saturday, according to coach Zinedine Zidane.
"We all want to see Eden," said Zidane on Friday. "There's a lot of pressure on him, a lot of expectation. But he is ready and that is the most important thing."
Initially expected to make his debut in mid-August, Hazard's La Liga debut was delayed due to a thigh strain he suffered at the club's training base in Valdebebas.
After missing the first three weeks of the season, during which Real Madrid struggled to a single win and two draws, Zidane has called for patience as Hazard finds his feet again.
"We have to go gently," he said. "He (Hazard) was injured for three weeks, he has been back for a week. We have seven games in 21 days and we will have to go gently. It will be up to me to keep an eye on his minutes and his playing time, because we need him over a long period, for several matches, not for one."
With Luka Modric ruled out this week with a groin strain and another midfielder, Fede Valverde, unavailable with a muscular problem in his left leg, Hazard's return is timely for Madrid, who also start their Champions League campaign against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
