http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...rs-tie?cc=4716
Mourinho weighs up Ronaldo risk
Jose Mourinho says he may take a "risk" & play Cristiano Ronaldo in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final 1st-leg tie against Tottenham Hotspur.
Mourinho, who on Saturday night surrendered his 9-year, 150-game unbeaten record in league home matches when Real Madrid lost 2 Sporting Gijon, had previously ruled Ronaldo out of the game with a hamstring problem.
However, Mourinho will meet with his top scorer, as well as the injured Karim Benzema & Marcelo, 2 establish whether the 3 players r willing 2 take a gamble on their fitness of the game @ the Bernabeu.
"If he [Ronaldo] has a chance it's becos he & his coach r taking a risk, becos the information fr the medical department is tat he can't play, tat he can only play in the game in Bilbao [next weekend]," Mourinho said.
"But if the 2 of us & only the 2 of us decide tat he's going 2 play then the risk is mine & his. 2morrow I will talk with the injured players & decide if we will risk them."
Even if Ronaldo is unable 2 declare his availability then @ least Real saw the unexpected return of Gonzalo Higuain 2 1st-team action on Saturday night. The striker had not played since November aft undergoing surgery on a herniated disc but returned ahead of schedule 2 play against Sporting.
Higuain said: "On an individual level I'm very happy. People believed I would miss the entire season, but I managed 2 show tat statistics aren't everything in life. It was not a challenge or a competition with anybody, it was a matter of pride 4 myself 2 show tat I could be back ahead of schedule.
"I was able 2 achieve tat & I feel very comfortable. The key 2 the recovery was fighting hard, not letting myself get down & battling 4 wat I love most, which is 2 play football.
"I'm grateful 2 all the coaching staff, the doctors, fans, my team-mates, my family & 2 myself. I'm very happy 2 be able 2 feel like a player again, although tis wasn't quite the dream comeback I was hoping 4."