Real Madrid News
Benzema set to miss Girona clash, doubt for UCL match vs Celtic; Valverde returns – report
Real Madrid have received an injury blow ahead of their La Liga encounter against Girona as star striker Karim Benzema is missing from team training and looks set to miss the clash.
This update comes from SPORT, with the report claiming that Benzema is absent from today’s training session.
The 34-year-old striker has missed the last two matches against Sevilla and RB Leipzig due to ‘muscle fatigue’.
While he did participate in the first half of training on Friday, he has not been seen today, casting clouds of uncertainty over his involvement in Sunday’s encounter.
The report is suggesting that the French international will not only miss the Girona contest but could also be a doubt for next week’s UEFA Champions League encounter against Celtic as well.
But there is some good news though as Federico Valverde is back in team training ahead of Sunday’s match.
Valverde picked up an injury during Real Madrid’s last La Liga encounter against Sevilla and ended up missing their UEFA Champions League clash versus RB Leipzig earlier this week.
On Friday, the Uruguayan had trained by himself and as a result, there were doubts over his involvement against Girona tomorrow. But his participation in team training today could indicate that the 24-year-old should be in contention for the match.
Luka Modric Dani Ceballos and Mariano Diaz have all returned to training as well, handing Real Madrid further boosts.
But, Mario Cortegana is reporting that along with Benzema, Rodrygo was not spotted in training today either, as he is suffering from a mild illness.
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
