Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard has fully recovered from an ankle injury and could be part of the squad that will face Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League semi-finals tonight, according to the Bavarian giants' head coach Hansi Flick.
World Cup winner Pavard, who had an outstanding season as Bayern won the domestic league and cup double, injured ligaments in his ankle late last month but returned to fitness quicker than expected.
He missed their sensational 8-2 demolition of Barcelona in the quarter-finals last week but has joined the team in Lisbon.
"Benjamin has worked hard in the past days and we are all happy that he is here," Flick told a news conference.
"We will wait for the final training session tonight and see. He is not an option to start but an option to be in the squad."
The Bavarians are the odds-on favourites for the title that would emulate their 2013 treble-winning season.
"We have analysed Lyon and we know their qualities," Flick said.
"They have a very good defence, with a lot of players behind the ball, strong runners but also with a lot of quality in attack.
"We want to reach the final and we have to beat Lyon. It will not be easy. With Juventus and Manchester City they have taken out two co-favourites."
"My team is focused. We have set big goals. But it is a game starting at 0-0 and we have to play with the same intensity as against Barca because anything less than 100% will just not be enough."
Meanwhile, his Lyon counterpart Rudi Garcia warned that statistics will count for nothing when the two sides meet.
Lyon, in their first Champions League semi-final since 2010, fear nothing after knocking out Juventus in the last 16 and Manchester City in the quarter-finals, showing resilience and poise to secure their place in the last four.
Asked about Bayern's impressive firepower, which was on full display against Barcelona, Garcia pointed out that his team had just sent an equally formidable attacking side packing.
"City scored more than 100 goals in the Premier League, so if we just look at the stats we can just watch the game at the hotel and Bayern can play alone," Garcia told a news conference on Tuesday.
Ten years after being denied a spot in the final by Bayern in a 4-0 aggregate defeat, Lyon believe they have a chance against the German champions.
"They don't have a lot of weak points but no team are perfect," Garcia said.
"We might be the underdogs but we beat big teams to get there and others may start taking us seriously.
"Maybe we're not a big mountain to climb but sometimes just a little pebble in your shoe can prevent you from climbing that little mountain."
Garcia said he could rely on his whole squad as no player is injured and does not think having played against City only four days ago will be a problem.
"Now we can change half of the team - with five substitutions being allowed - so it's okay. We can be a pain for any team," he explained.
Goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was confident he and his team mates would not give up until the final whistle.
"We have the opportunity to play in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Bayern are a big team but we're going to give everything," he said.
Follow Bayern Munich v Lyon (KO 8pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the News Now app.
