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Carvajal returns from heart issue for Madrid derby

ODD ANDERSEN / AFP / Getty

Real Madrid's chances of winning Saturday's Madrid derby have been handed a massive boost with the return of Dani Carvajal to the starting XI.

Zinedine Zidane's first-choice right-back hasn't played for Los Blancos since a 3-1 Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund on Sept. 26. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since the end of September with pericarditis, a condition that contributes to an irregular heartbeat.

In Carvajal's absence, Nacho and academy product and local teen Achraf Hakimi have platooned for Real at full-back.

With Carvajal's return, Zidane nearly has his first-choice squad fit again, with just Keylor Navas and Gareth Bale missing for the trip to rival Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano.

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