Manuel Pellegrini addressed the media after this morning’s training session.

Is Kaka fit to be a starter?
We didn’t use him last week because he wasn’t ready to play. He trained normally with the squad this week and has therefore been called up.

Has the Medical Staff limited the time Kaka may perform, as they did with Cristiano Ronaldo?
They’re injuries were completely different, but Kaka obviously isn’t fit to play an entire game yet.

How is Garay feeling?
He had minor physical problems and didn’t train with the rest for two days. I hope he is fit to play.

Can Kaka and Van der Vaart play together?
I hope my 23 players are all in optimum form. Footballers can all play with each other and a squad should always be motivated in its entirety. I am glad both Van der Vaart and Kaka are ready to play the match.

Will Guti make the cut?
He’s on the squad list. Guti has recovered from his injury and he is ready to gradually make a comeback. He is an important player with technical quality that makes him stand out. The doors to every squad list are open to him.

Are Kaka, Cristiano, Benzema and Higuain compatible with each other as starters?
You could add Raul and Van Nistelrooy to that list. We’ve tried out many options to find the best possible attacking front. All these players have similar characteristics and I guess the four men you mentioned could play at the same time. We used to score many goals before, but critics nevertheless didn’t like how we played.

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