Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Karim Benzema, Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois are all in contention to feature in the Club World Cup final.
The trio were left off the initial squad list and did not make the trip with the rest of their teammates due to injuries, with Benzema and Militao both picking up problems against Valencia on February 2, while Courtois suffered a groin issue ahead of the clash with Mallorca on February 5.
Real Madrid were expecting to be without the services of all three for the entire competition, but they have all stepped up their recoveries at Madrid's training base.
The trio have now travelled out to Morocco, as Los Blancos prepare to face Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup final, having booked their spot in the showpiece event by beating Al Ahly 4-1.
Ancelotti, speaking during his pre-match press conference, has said that all three players "have a chance" of being involved in Saturday's contest.
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"Militao, Benzema, and Courtois have a chance to play. If not, they wouldn't have come here," said the Italian.
Real Madrid will definitely be without the services of Eden Hazard, Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vazquez, though, with the trio remaining behind in the Spanish capital.
"We are close to a very important title. I ask the team to enjoy this match. It's the match of hope, of desire," added Ancelotti.
"The world champion is the one who wins tomorrow's match. The Champions League champion is the European champion. This is an event that doesn't happen every day. It happens from time to time. First, we have to enjoy it and then try to win it.
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"Al Hilal is a good team, with individual quality, with a lot of Saudi internationals who did well in the World Cup. We respect them and they showed their quality against Flamengo.
"We also respect the event, it's a very important event, it doesn't happen many times in your career to be able to have these matches.
"It's important, we're here as we were last year. It's a good time, we have to start with a Club World Cup final, which is a very nice thing to do.
"We've come to the end of a long road and we have to finish it well. This final can give us a boost for the games to come. We were hurt by what happened against Barca and Mallorca, but these things happen in football. We are confident. The squad has improved compared to last year."
Real Madrid are the most successful side in the history of the Club World Cup, having won the competition on four previous occasions, with their last triumph coming in 2018.
Matt Law
