Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Dani Ceballos has returned to full fitness and will be available to make his comeback against Alaves on Sunday.
The 28-year-old had finally began to cement his place in Real’s midfield some eight years after joining from Real Betis.
Ceballos has been one of Carlo Ancelotti’s most reliable performers this season but has missed the last 10 games after sustaining an injury following a win against Real Sociedad on February 26.
The Spain international, who spent two years on loan at Arsenal at the start of Mikel Arteta’s tenure, missed the first leg against his former club last week but will feature at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, assuming he comes through unscathed tomorrow.
Real attempted to get the game against Alaves moved to give them more time to prepare for Arsenal who lead the tie 3-0 after a stunning display at the Emirates Stadium.
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That request, however, fell on deaf ears much to the annoyance of Ancelotti who said: ‘We don’t understand it, but it is what it is. There are more than 72 hours of rest, so we can’t complain.’
Despite now being long odds against to qualify for the semi-finals, meanwhile, Real remain quietly confident of staging another famous comeback.
‘We’re going to try again,’ said Ancelotti. ‘Until the last minute and the last ball. And that starts tomorrow.
‘It’s clear we ran less, we could have done much more. That’s there, but it’s not just that.
‘Every defeat is the same, difficult. Football, luckily, gives you another chance right away.’