Wales head coach Robert Page has dismissed concerns about Gareth Bale's fitness after including the former Real Madrid forward in his World Cup squad on Wednesday.
Bale will captain his country in Qatar, which is the first time it has qualified for the tournament since 1958.
Bale is Wales' biggest hope, despite enduring an injury-disrupted season in MLS with Los Angeles FC.
He scored in LA's MLS Cup win last week and has since returned to his homeland in preparation for the competition.
"Has he played as many minutes as we'd like? Probably not," Page said. "But that doesn't worry me. He's proved time and time again when he puts the Welsh jersey on, irrespective of how many minutes he's played at domestic level, he's always produced.
"On big occasions he'll always turn up, thrive, and enjoy it. No question about that. He'll have an effect on the game straight away and when opposing managers see his name on the team sheet they'll know. It's the power that people like Gareth have because they always deliver."
Wales has been drawn in Group B with England, the United States and Iran.
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Ancelotti defends Benzema for not playing ahead of World Cup
Carlo Ancelotti defended Karim Benzema from accusations he is not playing with Real Madrid to be ready for the World Cup, saying Wednesday the France striker himself is upset about his lack of minutes going into Qatar.
The 34-year-old Benzema, who has been dealing with muscle fatigue, will miss his sixth straight start when Madrid hosts Cádiz in the Spanish league on Thursday. It will be the club's last match before the World Cup break.
Ancelotti said it was "silly" for people to say Benzema was trying to preserve himself for the France national team.
"It's a small ailment, and Karim has tried to recover from it," the Madrid coach said. "He is the first one who is frustrated with the situation, as he is entering the World Cup without the minutes he would have needed to be in better condition."
Since winning the Ballon d'Or for best player of the year three weeks ago, Benzema missed matches against Sevilla, Leipzig, Girona and Rayo Vallecano. He played less than 30 minutes after coming off the bench in a 5-1 rout of Celtic in the group stage of the Champions League this month. His most recent start was in a 3-0 win at Elche in the Spanish league on Oct. 19, when he scored his last goal.
"The only thing that bothers me is that Karim has not been able to help the team with his quality," Ancelotti said.
Benzema is set to be back at the World Cup after missing out on the 2018 tournament in Russia. France coach Didier Deschamps will announce the squad that will try to the defend the World Cup title in Qatar on Wednesday.
Ancelotti also defended Vinícius Júnior from accusations he was provoking other players too much in recent matches.
"Vini is the player who receives the most fouls, the most hits, the most shoves," Ancelotti said about the forward that will be with Brazil at the World Cup.
Madrid needs to beat relegation-threatened Cádiz to enter the World Cup break within three points of Spanish league leader Barcelona, which came from behind to win 2-1 at Osasuna on Tuesday.
Madrid is the defending champion both in the Spanish league and the Champions League.
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Senegal forward Sadio Mané a doubt for World Cup with injury
Senegal forward Sadio Mané is in doubt for the World Cup after Bayern Munich said Wednesday he would miss the last league game before the tournament with a leg injury.
Bayern said the two-time African player of the year had an injury to the head of the fibula bone in his lower right leg. Bayern didn't specify how serious the injury might be, saying only that Mané would not be available to play Schalke on Saturday.
"Further examinations will follow in the coming days. FC Bayern is also in contact with the medical staff of the Senegalese Football Association," Bayern said in a statement.
Mané was in clear discomfort after a blow to the right leg early in Bayern's 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on Tuesday and was substituted in the 20th minute.
Mané scored the winning penalty to beat Egypt in a shootout in the final of the African Cup of Nations in February. He joined Bayern from Liverpool in June in a deal which could end up being worth 41 million euros ($41.3 million), depending on performance-related bonuses.
Senegal plays its opening match the World Cup on Nov. 21 against the Netherlands in Group A. Host nation Qatar and Ecuador are also in the group.