Ronaldo to undergo tests in Portugal: Real

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is to travel to Portugal Tuesday to undergo medical tests to determine his fitness before his country’s crucial World Cup play-off matches, the club said.

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has insisted he intends to call up the striker for the matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina on November 14 and 18 despite opposition from Real.

Real Madrid doctors last week estimated that Ronaldo would be out of action for at least two more weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury, effectively ruling him out of the two international matches.

“Cristiano Ronaldo will travel to Portugal in the next few hours to put himself at the disposal of the medical services of the Portuguese” football federation, Real said in a statement Tuesday.

The Portuguese federation said Monday that it expects all the players called up to the squad, including Ronaldo, to make themselves available.

Ronaldo initially injured his right ankle in Real’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September and aggravated the problem while playing for Portugal on October 10.

“It’s impossible for Ronaldo to play with Portugal,” Real coach Manuel Pellegrini said on Friday. “I feel sorry for the Portugal squad and for the player, but he hasn’t trained for a long time now and he is still in pain.”