Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday the side’s crunch game against Barcelona on Saturday is likely to be the hardest game of the season.

Forward Cristiano Ronaldo returned to full training on Friday for the first time in a week.

Ronaldo had been absent from training after hurting his calf against Gremio in the Club World Cup final last Saturday, in which he scored the only goal of Real’s 1-0 win over the Brazilian side and completed the full 90 minutes.

Zidane has overseen Real’s worst run of results in the league in nine seasons and his side go into Saturday’s encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu sitting fourth in the standings, 11 points adrift of Barca albeit having played one game fewer.

It is a scenario few could have foreseen after Real won a Liga and Champions League double last term and began this season so convincingly.

Seemingly the only positive Real will take onto the pitch on Saturday is that they are still world champions after retaining the Club World Cup last weekend with victory against Gremio in the final.

The Clasico is one of the most-watched games in club football. Officials said an estimated 650 million people in 180 countries watched the last league encounter in April.

Reuters