First Gareth Bale, and now Karim Benzema. It seems that when Real Madrid needed their BBC attack the most, two thirds of its components will not be available. After being left out of the squad that faced Malaga last Saturday, Karim Benzema has not been able to train with Los Blancos in the last couple of training sessions due to a knee injury, making his presence against Atletico extremely doubtful.
Spanish sources have revealed Benzema is under medical surveillance, hoping he can recover for Wednesday's match against Atletico. His absence might represent another problem for Carlo Ancelotti, who will not have Bale, Modric and the French striker available due to injury, adding Marcelo to that list after being carded last week.
Benzema has been working under the supervision of the team's physiotherapists.
Spanish newspaper Marca mentioned the possibility of having Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez substituting the French goalscorer, since he has been used more frequently in Benzema's position. Hernandez took Gareth Bale's spot on the team's lineup after the Welshman came down with an injury after three minutes, assisting Cristiano Ronaldo for the third goal that evening. Another option for Los Blancos would be starting Jesé.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti referred to Real Madrid's current predicament in an interview, stating that he is not worried about all the injuries his players are suffering.
"We have a number of options to deal with those absences. We are fighting to win La Liga and we are confident about reaching the Champions League final one more time," Ancelotti added.
Benzema will continue working away from the pitch so that he can make the squad, but his options of playing against Los Colchoneros are rather slim.
