"Benzema and Mendy will be available against Liverpool"

Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room. The Real Madrid coach confirmed that two players who will not be available on Saturday against Espanyol will be available against Liverpool next Wednesday in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.

French striker Karim Benzema, who was absent from the last training session at Valdebebas, has been forced to stop again due to ankle discomfort, which will prevent him from playing against the 'Pericos' at the Santiago Bernabeu. On the other hand, Ferland Mendy and Mariano Diaz returned to training with the rest of the squad. The two Frenchmen "will be ready for Liverpool" in the words of the coach.

Carlo Ancelotti does not want to take any risks with Benzema, whose ankle injury has ruled him out of another game, the 14th he will miss this season. The French striker's absence against Espanyol is in addition to that of Austrian defender David Alaba, who continued his recovery from injury on Friday.

The highlight of the morning at Madrid's training complex  was the return of Frenchman Ferland Mendy to the group dynamic. In the minutes of the session open to the presence of the media, he was seen smiling, exercising for the first day at the same pace as his teammates in the warm-up and the rondos.

Ferland Mendy's last match was on 26th January and, after a month and a half out with a muscle tear in his left thigh, he has now completed all the stages of his recovery and it will be up to Carlo Ancelotti to decide whether he is fit enough to be included in the squad.