20 February 2023 , 09:21
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Real Madrid have been handed a major injury boost with Dani Carvajal set to be fit for their Champions League last-16 clash with Liverpool.
Los Blancos travel to Anfield on Tuesday for the first leg of the tie with the Premier League giants. The trip to Merseyside comes with Carlo Ancelotti's men sitting eight points adrift of Barcelona in the LaLiga title race, with the Italian badly needing a boost in Europe.
His hopes of masterminding a win over Jurgen Klopp's men have been bolstered by the return to fitness of Carvajal. The right-back has been a key player for Madrid since he returned to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2013.
He has been a stalwart of the team ever since, helping them to win three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues. But he has suffered from a muscle injury this season, which recently ruled him out of six games in all competitions.
The Spaniard has started three of Madrid's four La Liga games since his spell on the sidelines. Though he was only able to play for 14 minutes of Los Blancos' win over Osasuna on Sunday.
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Ancelotti has now confirmed that there are no lingering injury issues for the 31-year-old. And the Italian confirmed the right-back will feature against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
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Dani Carvajal is expected to feature in the trip to Anfield (Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images)"Carvajal is going to play at Anfield," Ancelotti said. "What we did in the second half could have been done in the first, the vertical pass could have been given earlier.
"But I really liked the solidity of the team, it was a complete game, it was important to win it to keep the League alive, so we left this stadium happy. We attacked a little more directly, and that's where it makes the difference."
During the win over Osasuna, Ancelotti opted to bring on wonderkid Alvaro Rodriguez. And he hinted that the striker could also be involved against Liverpool, though he will hold talks with reserve team boss Raul first.
"He has a lot of quality, he's going very well with his head... He can help us. Joining Real Madrid is not easy. He was very focused and he made a difference in 10 minutes with two assists," he added.
"He's going to help us in what's left. If he's going to stay in the first team, it's something we have to evaluate. We'll discuss it with Raúl. We are fine. I think we arrived in a good dynamic, with all the confidence in the world."
Ancelotti is also set to welcome Karim Benzema back to selection consideration after the Frenchman was forced to miss the clash with Osasuna. But he is still sweating on the fitness of Aurelian Tchouameni and Toni Kross, who are both carrying an illness.