Benzema returns for the cup Copa del Rey - Leganes vs Real Madrid Frenchman available on Thursday

The big news for Zinedine Zidane is that he has recovered Karim Benzema for Real Madrid's upcoming cup match against Leganes.

Having already done part of his training at Valdebebas with the group on Monday morning, if everything goes as expected, then the centre-forward will be in the squad for the first leg of the Copa del Rey, to be played in Butarque on Thursday from 9.30pm CET.

He hasn't yet played in 2018, and has only just returned from his holidays.

After playing almost all of El Clasico in some discomfort, an MRI confirmed that he suffered a biceps muscle femoral injury to his right leg.

It meant Benzema had to miss the two Copa matches against Numancia, the draw in the Estadio Balaidos and the loss to Villarreal at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Zidane already commented in the press conference prior to the last league match that the striker would return when he was at full strength, and that time appears to have come.