Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says Cristiano Ronaldo is now 100 percent fit and ready to start Saturday's La Liga derbi against neighbours Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
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Ronaldo, 29, has had a tendinosis issue in his left knee through recent months, while also suffering from related thigh muscle complaints.
Having begun the season still hampered by the problems, the Portugal captain sat out Madrid's 4-2 La Liga defeat at Real Sociedad a fortnight ago, and also missed his country's 1-0 home Euro 2016 qualifier humbling by Albania in an attempt to get himself fully fit.
The Blancos coach told his pregame news conference that the rest and recuperation plan had brought Ronaldo back to his best physical condition, while denying that the reigning Ballon d'Or holder had aggravated the injuries by playing too much last season.
"Cristiano is at his best, he has worked very well for these weeks," Ancelotti said. "He has no physical problems, has trained very well, and is in optimal condition. Cristiano plays whenever he is well, when he is not tired, and there are no risks of injury, the same as last year. Last year he did not play too much.
"He played the games where there was no risk of injury. In the end he had some small problems, but I believed he was managed well, as he scored many goals. Cristiano does not have a chronic injury. He had a knee problem last year, but that has recovered completely. He does not need to be careful, he trains the same as any other player."
During their painful defeat at Anoeta last time out, Madrid appeared to miss the balance provided by departed midfielders Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria last season, with new signings James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos struggling with their defensive duties.
Ancelotti admitted that the performance had not been good, but said his players could learn from that defeat, and he would not be making any tactical changes now.
"We must not forget what happened," he said. "It was a good lesson. The first 30 minutes we played very well, but we must play that way for 90 minutes to beat Atletico. We must avoid the errors we made at Anoeta, individual and collective mistakes.
"But the philosophy will not change. The team is there, we are going to look for balance with this team, these players. This style has brought us many results. We have the confidence that we are going to look for that [balance] very quickly. "
With Dani Carvajal having picking up an injury on international duty with Spain, Sergio Ramos could play at right-back, allowing Ancelotti to bring in another tall player in Raphael Varane at centre-half. Ancelotti would not give away his starting XI, but he did say that Javier Hernandez -- signed on loan from Manchester United -- would be on the bench.
"I am not going to tell you my team, as I have some doubts," the Italian coach said. "But I do not think we will change the idea of the game. We want to use this game to get back playing well, with intensity, as we have usually done.
"We are very happy with Chicharito. Everyone knows he has good movement up front and can score goals. He is a very positive person: very motivated, excited and happy to be here with us. We are very happy with him too, and he will help us a lot. Tomorrow he will not start, but he could be useful in the game."
The two Madrid teams have met seven times over the last 12 months, with Atletico coming out on top in La Liga and the Spanish Supercopa, and Real winning their Champions League and Copa del Rey battles. Ancelotti, meanwhile, rejected a reporter's suggestion that Diego Simeone's side had a good record due to their physical approach -- a style that Atleti defender Cristian Ansaldi says could decide the derbi.
"Atletico have their own style of play, with lots of intensity, but that is football," he said. "Football is not a game for little girls; it is a game for men. Atletico have their own style, and that has given them lots of results.
"Each team has their own philosophy and style due to the quality and characteristics of their players. We will look to impose our style on the game, to play the game as we want. If we can do that, we have a good chance of winning."