Ronaldo hopes to face Bayern in opening leg of Champions League tie

Ronaldo hopes to face Bayern in opening leg of Champions League tie

Published Apr. 17, 2014 6:57 a.m. ET

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo remains hopeful of being fit for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The Portugal international watched from the stands as Real picked up their first silverware of the season by beating Barcelona 2-1 in the Copa del Rey final in Valencia.

Ronaldo has not played since suffering a hamstring injury during the 3-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on April 2.

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The 29-year-old forward admitted his frustration after missing out against Barca but he is now focused on being available to take on European champions Bayern at the Bernabeu.

He said: "I'm really happy. I wanted to play and help the team but my team-mates did a great job. I'm getting better, now I don't feel any pain.

"I might be back in time for next Wednesday or perhaps the second leg of our Champions League tie.

"Bit by bit I'm feeling better and what I want more than anything is to be able to help the team out as soon as possible."

A suited Ronaldo joined the Real Madrid players on the pitch to celebrate their win over arch-rivals Barcelona at the Mestella.

"We have to enjoy this," he said. "The team was great. They knew how to dig in and deserved to win because they created more chances.

"I'm very happy. It is the first trophy of the season but we will keep on fighting for the other two.

"The manager also deserves congratulations because he picked a good team. It was a massive effort to get to the final and beating Barcelona makes it even more special."

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