Real Madrid trio to miss Tottenham match

"I cannot rest or bench players like [Mesut] Ozil, [Angel] Di Maria or [Ricardo] Carvalho. I cannot make any more changes."

Benzema and Marcelo sustained their injuries on international duty during the week - for France and Brazil respectively - while Ronaldo, who has scored 37 goals for Real in all competitions in his second season at the Bernabeu, missed Portugal's match against Finland.

But Mourinho has been boosted by the sooner-than-expected return of striker Gonzalo Higuain following back surgery.

The Argentina striker has been included in Real's squad to face Gijon on Saturday, the first time he has featured since November.

"His recovery is a positive surprise because we thought he may miss up to the final 15 games of the season and having him is important," added Mourinho.

"Not even with the best estimate would we expect him to return to playing so soon. We're very happy."

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