Cristiano Ronaldo's one-match ban has been rescinded following a successful appeal by Real Madrid.

Initial reports suggested that the club would not bother appealing the card for simulation during the game against Rayo Vallecano, despite manager Carlo Ancelotti calling it "unbelievable".

However, Real did eventually decide to appeal, and the LFP Competition Committee has rescinded the card - and with it, the one-match ban the Portuguese had picked up for collecting his fifth yellow card. Ronaldo will now be available to face Eibar this weekend.

OPINION

Our initial response to this was "why did Real bother appealing"? Ronaldo could have served out his suspension against one of La Liga's poorest teams on current form, with 14th-placed Eibar having collected just one win in their last 12 matches.

Then, with a clean slate, Ronaldo could have played without fear of triggering a suspension for upcoming clashes against the likes of Sevilla, Valencia and Espanyol.

Yet Real Madrid can't afford to take chances. Eibar's one victory in those 12 games happened to come in their last match, a huge boost for a side that hadn't won since 10th January - and with Real four points behind in the title race, they must keep up the pressure.

The huge win over Granada last week will have sent a message to Barcelona, and if they can produce the same sort of scoreline again then the pressure will increase on Luis Enrique's men.

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