Despite Valverde's "concussion" following their altercation, Tchouaméni will play against Barcelona.

Despite Valverde's "concussion" following their altercation, Tchouaméni will play against Barcelona.

 Real Madrid's French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni will be in the squad for Sunday's El Clásico against Barcelona, ​​despite being fined for a violent altercation with teammate Federico Valverde, his coach Álvaro Arbeloa confirmed on Saturday. "What I can say is that Tchouaméni will be in the squad on Sunday against Barcelona in El Clásico," Arbeloa told a press conference.

This comes two days after the clash between Tchouaméni and Valverde, which resulted in the Uruguayan midfielder suffering a concussion and requiring him to rest for 10 to 14 days. Real Madrid imposed a €500,000 fine (approximately $590,000) on both Tchouaméni and Valverde on Friday, without any sporting sanctions, theoretically allowing the French international to play at the Camp Nou on Sunday.

Arbeloa, who was repeatedly asked about the incident, expressed his "immense pride" in the club's swift response and the apologies offered by the two players. He said: "I won't publicly humiliate them because they don't deserve it. Over the past four months and these last few years, they've shown me what it means to be a Real Madrid player, and I won't forget that."

He added: "Valverde and Tchouaméni deserve to be put behind us and given the opportunity to continue fighting for this club. I'm very proud of them. I won't allow this to be used to question the professionalism of my players." The former right-back downplayed the incident between the players, considering the leak to the press to be the "most serious" aspect, which he deemed a "betrayal."

He continued: "As you know, these things happen everywhere. I've been through worse. I saw one of my teammates hit another with a golf club (Craig Bellamy against John Arne Riise at Liverpool in 2007). The important thing is that what happens in the dressing room should stay in the dressing room."

He concluded: "If you're looking for someone to blame, I'm right here. And if you believe I could have intervened and stopped all of this, then I take responsibility." After their Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich and their falling further behind Barcelona in La Liga, Real Madrid are experiencing a tense atmosphere and are heading for a second consecutive season without a major title. Barcelona will be crowned Spanish champions on Sunday if they avoid defeat against Real Madrid in this Clásico.