Ronaldo out for Copa del Rey final

Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Copa del Rey Final against Barcelona due to a muscular injury. La Liga and Champions League top scorer could not practice today due to knee pain and thigh problems in his left leg so he was ruled out.

Carlo Anchelotii has a major problem after losing the Portuguese striker who scored 45 goals for his team in all competitions this year. Cristiano sat out the last two games, the 4-0 win over Almeria in the domestic competition and the 0-2 loss in Germany with Borussia Dortmund. “Cristiano has a problem that many players have at this stage of the season. He is not available because we do not want to risk with him. We protect Cristiano in the same way we try yo protect all the players as much as possible. We do not want to take any risks as there are very important games still to come,” said Carlo Anchelotti, Real Madrid manager.

Cristiano's absence could benefit Barcelona, but Catalan players know Real Madrid is not made of one man. “The team doesn't change whether he is playing or not. If Cristiano does not play, somebody else at the same level will,” said Andres Iniesta.

Copa del Rey Final will be played on Wednesday at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Liones Messi with 5 goals is the competition's top scorer.