Madrid, Spain - Cristiano Ronaldo's return to fitness has strengthened Real Madrid in time for their eagerly anticipated trip to face Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Sunday.
The Portuguese forward was untroubled by the ankle injury that had kept him on the sidelines for the past two months when he came on for the last 20 minutes of Real's drab 1-0 Champions League win over FC Zurich on Wednesday.
"I'll definitely be able to play against Barca. I feel good, I want to play, and it is up to the coach whether I go from the start," Ronaldo said.
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Real took first place from Barca in La Liga last weekend and have a one-point advantage over the champions, but as ever, the clasico is much more than just a top-of-the-table tussle.
It is about a clash of styles and a chance to see how the new-look Real measure up against their arch-rivals, the treble-winners.
The return of Florentino Perez to the Real presidency has seen them invest around €250-million (about R2,75-billion) in players such as Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.
However, under new coach Manuel Pellegrini they are struggling to gel as a unit and to provide the spectacle demanded by the fans. The team have lacked personality and bite in Ronaldo's absence.
"It's likely the squad are suffering from excessive anxiety, pressure, criticism, and some aspects of the game are not working well," Pellegrini said after the visit of Zurich.
"Because of this, the team deserve a lot of credit to be where they are now. We aren't playing badly, we just aren't entertaining."
Barcelona are still winning plaudits for their eye-catching football, played with a squad of largely homegrown talent and built around a strong team ethic.
Tuesday's impressive 2-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan was achieved without two of their biggest names, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi, who were on the bench nursing thigh injuries.
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