Raul content with place on the bench

A couple of years back the idea of dropping Raul would have been unthinkable, but after a season blighted by injury and loss of form at Real Madrid, there was no great surprise yesterday when team manager Luis Aragones strongly hinted, and the player himself confirmed, that he would not be among the starters for this evening's first group game.

"I'm not hurt by being a substitute," insisted Raul, who scored three goals in the only two previous meetings between these sides and is a favourite of the 67-year-old coach. "Everybody in the squad wants to play but the manager has to pick just 11 and we must accept that. There will be opportunities for all of us over the coming weeks."

Aragones all but confirmed that Raul would not be in the starting line-up.

"I haven't told the players what the team will be yet, but I've given enough clues for everyone to work it out and I've been training with a team without Raul," he told a news conference.