Real Madrid News
Benzema, Militao unlikely to travel to Morocco for FIFA Club World Cup today – report
Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Eder Militao are unlikely to travel to Morocco with the rest of the squad for the FIFA Club World Cup, according to reports from Miguel Angel Diaz of COPE.
Both Militao and Benzema picked up injuries during Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Valencia last week. As a result, the duo missed the match against RCD Mallorca last night, which the Merengues lost 1-0, to hand Barcelona the initiative in the La Liga title race.
The focus now shifts to the FIFA Club World Cup, with Real Madrid set to take on Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
However, both Benzema and Militao are unlikely to be fit in time for the contest and thus are not expected to on the flight to Morocco later today.
The report suggests that if Los Blancos make it to the finals and there is an improvement in the situation of the Brazilian defender and the French striker, they could join the team for the showpiece event at a later stage.
It further adds that as things stand, Benzema has more chances of being fit in time for the final.
Militao had to be taken off in the first half of the encounter against Valencia after he sustained an injury following a coming-together with Samuel Lino. Benzema, meanwhile, was subbed off around the hour mark after he appeared to be clutching his right thigh.
The Frenchman had just looked to have rediscovered his groove after a spell out on the sidelines prior to the FIFA World Cup break. Meanwhile, Militao had been the in-form centre-back for Real Madrid in recent games.
The latest injury setbacks, thus, comes as a blow for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, especially ahead of important games.
Apart from Militao and Benzema, Belgian duo Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois will also not be on the flight to Morocco due to injuries, while Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vazquez are also out with injuries.
Real Madrid News
Opponent watch: Chelsea defender injured during international break, doubt for Real Madrid clash
In less than 20 days, Real Madrid will square off against Chelsea in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu. And ahead of the game, the Premier League club might have been dealt an injury setback.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea right-back Reece James has sustained an injury while away on national team duty with England and could now be a doubt for the match against Real Madrid.
James is a key member of the Chelsea squad but has had multiple injury problems in the recent past. Indeed, the 23-year-old has played just 12 Premier League matches this term, having had to deal with two knee injuries and a hamstring problem.
James played just five minutes for England during their 2-1 win over Italy earlier this week but has seemingly picked up some discomfort in his thigh during that game.
As a result, he was released from the national team camp earlier today and the young right-back is already on his way back to London.
The official report from the England national team indicated that the Chelsea ace had sustained a minor hamstring injury and was returning to his club as a precaution. However, Mundo Deportivo is stating that his availability for the game against Real Madrid is unclear at this point.
Los Blancos drew Chelsea for the quarter-finals and will host the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 12 before playing the second leg at Stamford Bridge a week later.
