MADRID: Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says if the injured Karim Benzema is unable to play in next week’s La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid it will rule the star striker out of contention for France’s Nations League World Cup warm up games.
Benzema, hot favorite to pick up next month’s Ballon d’Or, suffered a right thigh injury in Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League win at Celtic.
And Ancelotti said on Saturday: “Karim? We’ll see if he can make the derby. What’s certain is that if he doesn’t play the derby he won’t be joining his national team.”
World Cup winners France continue the preparations for the defense of their 2018 crown against Austria on September 22 and Denmark three days later.
Ancelotti added of the French forward: “These are the sort of things that can happen
“There’s a minor issue, but last year too he had a physical problem in December and we were able to deal with it.
“This year, it’ll be the same thing.”
The 34-year-old striker hobbled off after half an hour of the game at Parkhead with Real going on to run out impressive winners as they kicked off their title defense in style.
“Without him the team played really well against Celtic, especially in attack,” Ancelotti observed, ahead of Sunday’s La Liga clash with Real Mallorca.
Eden Hazard will as he did in Glasgow step in to Benzema’s role on Sunday.
While praising the Belgian for his performance in Scotland Ancelotti noted: “Benzema doesn’t have a natural replacement.
“He’s the best center forward in the world, and there’s no substitute for him anywhere on the market.”
Whether Benzema is fit enough to face Atletico will determine in part on tests but mostly on his astute coach.
“We’ve got lots of information, physical and technical. I take them all into account but only to confirm what my own eyes are telling me.
“If my eyes tell me a player is well on the pitch but the data is saying he’s tired, he’ll remain out on the pitch.”
Benzema’s France call-up hinges on Madrid derby says Ancelotti
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Benzema’s France call-up hinges on Madrid derby says Ancelotti
- Benzema, hot favourite to pick up next month's Ballon d'Or, suffered a right thigh injury in Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League win at Celtic
- Ancelotti said: "Karim? We'll see if he can make the derby"
Rajkovic excels as Al-Ittihad cruise to victory against Al-Shabab
- Al-Ittihad secure fifth Saudi Pro League win of the season with a 2-0 victory
JEDDAH: It has not been the start to the season that Al-Ittihad fans had anticipated. Nevertheless, on their return to Saudi Pro League action after a 36-day hiatus, the defending champions delivered a performance that offered renewed confidence ahead of a demanding run of seven matches in the space of 30 days.
The opening exchanges proved far from straightforward for The Tigers.
Attempting to play out from the back, they were punished within the first two minutes as Abdullah Matuq pounced on a mistake to find himself one-on-one with Predrag Rajkovic, only for the Serbian goalkeeper to produce the first of several crucial saves. Just 60 seconds later, Rajkovic was called into action again, this time denying a header from a corner.
Momentum soon shifted. Roger Fernandes began to cause problems down the left wing, his quick footwork getting the better of Al-Shabab’s defence before he delivered a low cross into the box. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, aided by Karim Benzema’s intelligent screening of Saad Balobaid, met it to open the scoring in the 16th minute.
Al-Ittihad came close to doubling their advantage in the 28th minute. Mohannad Al-Shangeeti struck the far post with a powerful effort, before his follow-up attempt narrowly missed the target, drifting wide of Marcelo Grohe’s goal.
Grohe was later called upon to keep Al-Shabab in the contest, producing a fine save in the 58th minute to deny Benzema after the Frenchman was released by a perfectly weighted pass from Steven Bergwijn.
Al-Ittihad continued to dominate possession, though Imanol Alguacil’s side managed to limit Fernandes’ influence by committing extra defensive cover on the left flank.
That adjustment failed to account for Al-Shangeeti’s runs from deep, as he surged down the right to find Bergwijn, who finished first time to seal the contest for the hosts in the 85th minute.
Late substitute Abdulaziz Al-Bishi thought he had added a third in the closing stages, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The win lifts Al-Ittihad into sixth place on 17 points, while Al-Shabab remain just two points above the relegation zone, extending their winless run to eight matches since their Matchday 2 victory over Al-Hazem.
