Real Madrid centre-forward Karim Benzema looks set to return for his club in Sunday evening's La Liga clash with Sevilla at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane gave his players had two days off following last Sunday's last-gasp 2-1 La Liga win at Las Palmas, after which he admitted the performance "worried" him.
During this time Benzema stepped up his recovery from the hamstring problem he suffered during last month's 0-1 La Liga defeat at home to Atletico Madrid.
Following the first training session of the week for Zidane's side on Wednesday, a Madrid club statement confirmed that Benzema had been fit enough to take a full part with his teammates.
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Back to work!First session of the week at #RMCity = ✔#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/tjEdVjv0TQ
- Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) March 16, 2016
"The squad held the first training session of the week at the Real Madrid City as they began preparations for the La Liga game against Sevilla, taking place this Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu [8:30 pm CET]," the statement said. "Benzema rejoined the group for a training session in which Zinedine Zidane had the full squad available and also called upon Real Madrid Castilla players Martin Odegaard, Borja Mayoral and Marcos Llorente.
"After the physical warm up out on the field, the Whites did some first touch combinations before a series of possession and pressing exercises. This was followed up with some work on attack-defence transitions before finishing with a demanding game on a reduced sized pitch."
Madrid's first game after the international break is the Clasico trip to Barcelona's Camp Nou on April 2.
France manager Didier Deschamps is expected not to include Benzema when the squad for the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Russia is announced on Thursday.
Meanwhile, French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet says he plans to meet Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena before deciding if the former should be allowed to play for his national team again.
Le Graet, 74, suspended Benzema from France duty after the 28-year-old was charged with conspiracy to blackmail over an alleged attempt to extort money from Valbuena using a sex tape.
Benzema's chances of being recalled in time for the 2016 European Championship received a huge boost last week, however, when an investigating judge lifted a legal restriction that had prevented him from having contact with his international teammate.
Last week the FFF was also granted access to all the evidence in the case and Le Graet told RMC that he hopes to meet both players soon.
Benzema and Valbuena are both nearing a return from injury so it is doubtful that either player will feature in France coach Didier Deschamps' squad for friendlies later this month against the Netherlands and Russia.
"There's no rush," Le Graet said of Benzema. "He's injured at the moment.
"I'm going to meet the two players to hear them. I don't know if Didier will select Mathieu Valbuena because he's not playing for Lyon at the moment.
"I want to see them before taking a decision. During the international week? Why not but nothing is decided. Why not between now and the start of April?"
Both French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Sports Minister Patrick Kanner have this week questioned whether Benzema should be considered for selection while he is still under investigation.
But Le Graet said that the FFF should be allowed to decide on its own.
"I appreciate Mr Valls," Le Graet told L'Equipe. "I would like him to have faith in the federation."
Meanwhile, new Toulouse manager Pascal Dupraz says he would not recall Benzema and blames former France boss Laurent Blanc for allowing the current controversy to develop.
Now at Paris Saint-Germain, Blanc had been appointed as head coach of France after Les Bleus bowed out of the 2010 World Cup.
Infamously at that tournament the whole France squad took part in a boycott of training at their base in Knysna, refusing to get off the team bus after then-coach Raymond Domenech had sent home striker Nicolas Anelka.
Dupraz believes that Blanc should have blacklisted all the players involved and as a result he does not think Benzema should take part for the host nation at Euro 2016.
"If I was Laurent Blanc after Knysna, I would never have selected any of the players who didn't get off the bus," Dupraz told Sud Radio.
"So the first person responsible for everything that's happening today is Laurent Blanc because he brought back all the players who made a mockery of our profession and our nation at the World Cup."