Nistelrooy, Diarra set to return for Real

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mahamadou Diarra both return from several months out injured to join the Real Madrid squad for Monday’s Bernabeu Trophy match against Rosenborg, the Spanish club said.

Van Nistelrooy, bought from Manchester United in 2006, has been out of action since last November, when he underwent an operation on his right knee.

The Dutch striker has scored 45 league goals for Real, four of them last season before being injured, and was the top scorer in the league for 2006-07 with 25 goals in 37 matches.

But the 33-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the Bernabeu following the signings of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema this summer.

Malian international midfielder Diarra has also been out since November after suffering a knee injury.

Coach Manuel Pellegrini will be without Christoph Metzelder, Miguel Torres and Sergio Ramos through injury for the match against the Norwegian side, while out-of-favour Dutchmen Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van der Vaart are not selected.

The pre-season Santiago Bernabeu trophy, named after the former club president, is played each year at the stadium that bears his name with a different team invited each time.