Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has ruled Karim Benzema out of their upcoming match against Espanyol.
Real Madrid will take on Espanyol in a La Liga fixture in their next game. Speaking ahead of the fixture, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Karim Benzema will miss the match against Espanyol due to an injury.
Carlo Ancelotti revealed that Karim Benzema has had a knock on his ankle and hence will not be able to feature for Real Madrid against Espanyol.
However, the Real Madrid manager also confirmed Karim Benzema will be available for selection for them when they take on Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 second leg in their first match after the game against Espanyol.
Carlo Ancelotti confirms Karim Benzema will miss the upcoming match against Espanyol
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“He’s had a knock on his ankle, it’s swollen, he won’t be able to play tomorrow and he trained individually today. He will be available for Wednesday’s game [vs Liverpool],” Carlo Ancelotti said [via Madrid Universal] ahead of Real Madrid vs Espanyol fixture.
Carlo Ancelotti also admitted Karim Benzema’s issues will affect Real Madrid as he is an important player for the club.
The Real Madrid manager also admitted that the French attacker has not reached the level he hit in the last season in the ongoing campaign.
“It’s inevitable that it will affect us, he is very important to us. Last season he scored a lot of goals. He has not reached that level and it has affected us,” Carlo Ancelotti said.
“In the second half of the season, he has been important and he is going to be more important. We are confident that he will help us.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid, who are the defending La Liga champions, currently sits second in the points table. They trail fierce rivals and table-toppers Barcelona by nine points.
Barcelona have 62 points from 24 matches in La Liga so far in the current campaign. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have 53 points from 24 matches in the Spanish top flight so far this season.
Real Madrid will fall further behind Barcelona in the race for the La Liga title if they drop more points. Carlo Ancelotti and co. will be aiming for nothing less than all three points against Espanyol in their upcoming match.
