Is Eden Hazard playing tonight vs Elche? Real Madrid team news for LaLiga fixture

Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid will square off against Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on Wednesday, December 30. The LaLiga contest between Real Madrid and Elche is scheduled to kick off at 9:30 PM local time (Thursday, 2:00 AM IST). However, fans have been curious to know whether Eden Hazard will feature in the game against Elche given that the Belgian has now recovered from his thigh injury. 

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Eden Hazard injury update: Real Madrid winger recovers from thigh injury

Eden Hazard has endured quite a rocky start to the new season, with two injuries and a positive COVID-19 test, limiting him to just three league appearances. The Belgian hasn't played since suffering a thigh strain during Madrid’s 2-1 defeat against Deportivo Alaves at the end of November. In total, Hazard has managed just six appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid this season and is yet to complete 90 minutes of football in a game. 

However, it appears that Hazard has now recovered from his thigh strain as he was spotted training with the Real Madrid squad earlier this week. He scored a stunning Rabona goal in training a few days ago and Madrid will be hoping that Hazard's return to full fitness will provide them with a boost to chase down Atletico de Madrid, who are currently at the top of the LaLiga table. Hazard was, in fact, an unused substitute during Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Granada last week. 

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Is Eden Hazard playing tonight? Real Madrid boss confirms Belgian star will play against Elche

While speaking to reporters ahead of Real Madrid's clash against Elche, Zinedine Zidane confirmed that Eden Hazard will be back on the pitch against Elche - for a short while at least. In his pre-match press conference, Zidane said, “Eden will be available tomorrow and we'd like him to just play for a little while." Hazard was also included in Real Madrid's squad for their clash against Granada.

Zidane admitted that he wanted to play Hazard against Granada in their previous LaLiga game but didn't want to rush the Belgian back into action. "The idea is for him to play a little bit against Elche because we want to take full advantage of Eden's ability", he added.

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Real Madrid are also set to welcome Luka Modric into the starting line-up for the game against Elche. Vinicius Junior could be handed a start alongside Lucas Vazquez and Karim Benzema in Madrid's attack. 

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Image Credits - Real Madrid Twitter