Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said that Karim Benzema, the team's top scorer, recovered from an injury in time to consolidate the attack in a summit match against Spanish Premier League leaders Atlético Madrid.
Real have suffered greatly since Benzema's absence due to a muscle injury suffered in their 2-0 win over Valencia on February 14.
In his absence, the "royal" scored only once in the total of three matches he played without Benzema, and failed to score in the first half every time, relying on players like Casemiro to score.
"Karim will be with us tomorrow. We all know how important he is. He plays a prominent role in the way we play, especially when the ball is with him. Enjoy watching him as a coach. When he arrived at Real, a lot of controversy erupted around him, and 10 years later he showed," Zidane said at a press conference before facing Atlético on Sunday. His footballing value, his development and reached his current position. "
Benzema was Real's top scorer last season to win the title, and contributed 30% of the team's goals in all competitions this season and scored 5 goals.
Eden Hazard has yet to recover from the latest injury, while captain Sergio Ramos and right back Danny Carvajal are absent.
Zidane's team will enter the summit match, ranked third, 5 points behind leaders Atlético, but have played one more match.
But Zidane said the outcome of the match would not be decisive in the title fight.
"We treat it as a final match, as we do every match because we want to win. But regardless of the outcome by which the match ends, we will continue to fight for the title," he added.
Right-back Kieran Trippier will return to Atlético for the first time since January, after completing a ban for violating betting rules in England.
Coach Diego Simeone indicated that the player's return would give his team vitality.
"He was training throughout the suspension period, and we all know how difficult it is for any player who trains and cannot play. He is very excited to return to the games," he said.
The coach also stated that the match would not resolve the title conflict, stressing the need to fight for the last breath after Real and Barcelona succeeded in returning to the race due to Atletico's retreat in February.