The Welshman has missed the European champions’ last five games in all competitions with a hip problem but he could feature from the start against the Reds

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Gareth Bale is fit to face Livepool on Tuesday night – but the Real Madrid boss has yet to decide whether to start the Welshman at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The world’s most expensive player has missed Madrid’s last five games in all competitions with a hip injury but is now set to play some part in the Champions League Group B clash with the Reds.

“Bale’s fine,” Ancelotti told reporters on Monday. “My only doubt is whether to put Bale on from the start and also whether to rest a few of the players who have accumulated a lot of games. I’ll decide tomorrow [Tuesday].”

Ancelotti added that while Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira are also available for selection, full-backs Dani Carvajal and Fabio Coentrao are carrying minor problems.

“Dani suffered a minor hamstring injury but it’s not serious and he should be fully recovered by the end of the week,” the former Chelsea boss revealed. “Coentrao is also on the mend.”

Madrid moved top of La Liga courtesy of a 4-0 win at Granada at the weekend – Los Blancos’ 11th successive victory in all competitions – and Ancelotti admitted that his troops are currently brimming with belief.

“We’re playing well at the moment and we are all happy,” the Italian enthused. “We are very aware that every game we play is important – that was the attitude we had against Granada and now we are treating this game against Liverpool in the same way.

“We have confidence but not fear. We have a highly-professional side.

“We will lose some games but the team’s professionalism is 100 per cent, both when we win and when we lose.”

The attacking midfielder was linked with a number of clubs during the summer, including Tuesday’s opponents Liverpool, but he wants to win more titles with the Blancos

Isco insists that he will not be leaving Real Madrid, claiming that he sees no reason to ditch “the best club in the world”.

The Spain international only joined the Blancos from Malaga last summer but, despite an encouraging start to his Santiago Bernabeu career, he ultimately failed to nail down a regular berth in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting line-up last season.

The lack of game time led to speculation linking Isco with a move away from the Spanish capital, with Tuesday’s Champions League opponents Liverpool among those said to have been seriously interested in signing the 22-year-old.

The attacking midfielder ended up staying put and is currently flourishing, having been afforded a run of four successive starts in the absence of Gareth Bale.

The Welshman is on the verge of returning to first-team action but Isco is unperturbed and says he has no desire to leave Madrid – even if he is once again restricted to a bit-part role.

“My feelings on my career at Marid are very positive,” he told Bwin. “I’m in the best team in the world, we are winning titles, we achieved La Decima [last season] and hopefully we can continue that.

“I think the best place to keep winning titles is Real Madrid.”

Indeed, Isco believes that, if anything, the Blancos are even stronger than they were last season thanks in no small part to the summer arrivals of Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Javier Hernandez and Keylor Navas.

“With the new signings already adapted and given the commitment level of the team, the whole group is more united with each game,” he enthused.

“Everyone has something amazing: Kroos has great ball control; James has enormous quality; Chicharito has an eye for goal that comes in hand in tough games; and Keylor is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”

Madrid are currently in the midst of an 11-game winning run in all competitions and will be hoping to make it 12 victories in a row when they host struggling Liverpool.

The Reds finished second in last season’s Premier League but are struggling badly this season without Luis Suarez, who was sold to Barcelona, and the injured Daniel Sturridge.

Isco, though, is refusing to underestimate the threat potentially posed by Brendan Rodgers’ side on Tuesday – particularly on the break.

“Liverpool are a very good opponent, historically speaking,” he said of the five-time European Cup winners. “We cannot rest for a moment because they can really hurt you on the counterattack.

“At the Bernabeu we have more chance of winning than Liverpool but we know that, today, any team can surprise you.

“To do this, we have to take the field with the same attitude and the same determination that we have shown this season, and hopefully this winning streak can last a lot longer yet.”

The ex-Juventus boss has yet to call upon the 24-year-old since taking charge of the Azzurri but he insists that the door is always open for the forward to return

Italy coach Antonio Conte says he is “keeping an eye” on Mario Balotelli but admits that he will take his time before deciding whether to recall the Liverpool striker.

The former Juventus boss took charge of the Azzurri during the summer, following the departure of Cesare Prandelli on the back of a dismal first-round exit at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Conte has left Balotelli out of his first two squads and the 24-year-old attacker, who has netted just two goals since joining Liverpool from AC Milan in August, appears unlikely to be summoned for this month’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia.

However, Conte insists that the door to the national team is not closed for Balotelli.

“As Italy’s head coach, I’m not excluding anyone,” the 45-year-old told Sky Sport. “Balotelli has started a new career in England and it’s not easy. Let’s give him time to settle into a new league with Liverpool.

“I’m keeping an eye on him, just as I’m doing with all the players who are abroad.”

Conte, though, took great joy out of recalling Juve’s veteran playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who had announced his intention to retire from international football after the World Cup.

“Andrea decided to change his mind when he saw I was taking over,” the ex-Bianconeri boss enthused. “He’s someone you can totally rely on as a person and a player.

“He’s in good shape and I can bank on him to help me to develop players like Marco Verratti, who represents the present and the future of the national team.”

Italy have made a perfect start to their Euro 2016 qualification campaign, winning their opening three games in Group H. The Azzurri next face co-leaders Croatia at San Siro on November 16.