Sanctioned for a violent altercation with his teammate Federico Valverde, Real Madrid's French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni will be "in the squad" for Sunday's Clasico against FC Barcelona, his coach Alvaro Arbeloa assured on Saturday.

"What I can tell you is that Tchouaméni will be in the group tomorrow," Arbeloa said at a press conference, two days after an altercation between the two players caused a head injury to the Uruguayan midfielder, who was forced to "rest for 10 to 14 days."

Real Madrid had on Friday fined Tchouaméni and Valverde 500,000 euros, without sporting sanctions, which would theoretically allow the French international to take his place on Sunday at Camp Nou.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, mentioned several times in connection with this incident, said he was "very proud" of the club's quick reaction and the apologies offered by the two players.

"I will not crucify them publicly, because they do not deserve it. These last four months and these last few years, they have shown me what it means to be a Real Madrid player, and I will not forget that," he said.

"Valverde and Tchouameni deserve to be given another chance to continue fighting for this club. I am very proud of them. I will not allow this to be used to question the professionalism of my players," he added.

The former Real Madrid right-back downplayed the incident between the two players, stating that "the most serious thing" in his opinion was that the scene was in the press, which he considers a "betrayal".

"You know, these things happen everywhere. I've experienced worse situations than this. I saw one of my teammates hit another with a golf club (Craig Bellamy against John Arne Riise at Liverpool, in 2007, editor's note). The most important thing is that what happens in the dressing room should stay in the dressing room," the Spanish world champion reminded everyone.

"If you are looking for someone to blame, I am right here in front of you. If you believe that I could have intervened and stopped all of this, I take responsibility," he continued.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, present at a press conference in the early afternoon, did not wish to comment on the incident, assuring that he was exclusively focused on his team: "I believe that these are things that happen all over the world, not just at Real Madrid. Was I surprised? Perhaps a little, but in the end I don't care, it's not my club, I don't deal with that," he reacted.

Eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals by Bayern Munich and far behind FC Barcelona in La Liga, Real Madrid are under pressure and heading towards a second consecutive year without a major trophy.

Barça will be crowned Spanish champions on Sunday if they do not lose against Real Madrid in this Clasico.