Real Madrid have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their Champions League knockout clash against Liverpool as neither Aurelien Tchouameni nor Toni Kroos trained with the rest of the squad on Sunday evening.
However, Karim Benzema looks set to win his fitness battle as the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner was involved in the closing stages of the session with the rest of his Los Blancos team-mates.
The reigning La Liga and European champions will fly to Merseyside on Monday ahead of their mouthwatering Champions League round-of-16 tie at Anfield on Tuesday night.
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And Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti looks to have a string of injury issues to contend with over the next 48 hours and his sweats on the fitness of midfield stalwarts Kroos and Tchouameni.
Both players missed Saturday evening's 2-0 La Liga triumph over Osasuna with the Frenchman suffering from flu, while his German counterpart has been struck down with Gastroenteritis and has not played since last weekend's Club World Cup final in Morocco.
Spanish journalist Miguel Angel Diaz provided an update on the pair on Sunday evening, insisting Real Madrid will wait to see how their respective illnesses progress before making a decision about their involvement at Anfield, in what is a repeat of last season's final.
Despite such detrimental news for the Spanish champions, though, there was a positive development at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium as Benzema made his return to training after being withdrawn in the closing stages of Wednesday's victory over Elche - where he scored twice to move ahead of Raul and into second place in the club's all-time scoring charts.
The former French international, who was ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar due to a thigh issue, has endured a frustrating season on the injury front since damaging his hamstring during September's win at Celtic and has since missed 14 games due to muscle difficulties. Speaking on Saturday night, Ancelotti admitted he expects the 35-year-old to be fit enough to lead the line at Anfield.
“We go into the game at Anfield in good shape and with all the confidence in the world," said the 63-year-old Italian. "Tchouameni had stomach problems. Karim [Benzema] I think will be fine for that game and Kroos is back in training.”
Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois also made their returns to the Madrid squad during Saturday's victory at the El Sadar Stadium.
Over at Anfield, Darwin Nunez's involvement in the first leg will depend on quickly he is able to recovery from the shoulder injury he suffered in the second half of the Reds' encounter at St James' Park on Saturday after a coming together with Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier. After the match Jurgen Klopp described the Uruguayan's issue as "bad news" and will be expected to provide a further update on the forward during Monday's media briefing at Anfield.
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