Real Madrid News
Karim Benzema set to miss pre-season El Clasico against Barcelona
Real Madrid are set to face Barcelona in a pre-season friendly El Clasico in Las Vegas on July 26th in what promises to be an entertaining encounter.
It will be a test of the Catalan ‘rebuild’ against the newly crowned champions of Europe. Moreover, it is a chance for Los Blancos to avenge their 4-0 loss from last season.
However, it seems that Carlo Ancelotti has been handed an early blow in the build-up to the much-awaited game. Diario AS report that Karim Benzema is out for the clash at the Allegiant Stadium and will only return later in pre-season.
The Frenchman is expected to arrive at the training camp on July 19th, leaving him with only three training sessions before the Clasico against Barça. Given the big season ahead and the player’s age, manager Carlo Ancelotti prefers to rest Benzema and avoid risking any injuries.
It is important to note that the French international also missed the last fixture against Barcelona which the team went on to lose at the Santiago Bernabeu. The manager tried a novel forward line on that night, but the plan backfired miserably as the Blaugrana dominated the play.
Given the low stakes of a pre-season clash, it is understandable why the manager prefers not to risk his star player. However, every Clasico is a game of prestige and it goes without saying that Los Blancos will go all guns blazing at the Allegiant Stadium.
Last season, Benzema scored 27 goals and provided 12 assists in just 32 league appearances for Real Madrid. He was also directly involved in 17 goals for his team in the Champions League.
Jose Felix Diaz has reported via MARCA that Real Madrid want a major change in the Spanish refereeing system.
The reporter writes that the team from the Spanish capital has taken the issue as their top priority mostly because of what happened in the recent derby defeat against Atletico Madrid.
Los Blancos are determined to relentlessly steer a significant overhaul of the refereeing structure, and they have no intention of resting in their pursuit.
Their discontent comes not only from recent events, particularly the contentious derby match but also from a deep-seated frustration with the state of refereeing itself.
Real Madrid not hiding their discontent
The journalist mentions that Real Madrid are unapologetic about their continuous criticism of the refereeing community, firmly believing that a transformation is of utmost importance.
Even prior to the emergence of the Negreira case, the Merengues had been vocal about their dissatisfaction with those responsible for overseeing the refereeing unit.
For what it is worth, the revelation of the former vice president of the CTA’s financial ties to Barcelona only solidified Real Madrid’s resolve to advocate for a complete overhaul in referee management.
Real Madrid are suspicious
Real Madrid firmly assert that any influence from Negreira’s historical decisions in certain key positions raises suspicions about the fairness of the competition.
For that, the management will do everything in its power to achieve a certain level of transparency within the organization that it believes is currently overshadowed by historical baggage.
As of today, Real Madrid continue to voice their concerns through their official channels.
Right now their ultimate goal is to eliminate the involvement of Clos Gomez in VAR decisions, marking the beginning of a long-standing battle they are fighting.
Akakpo Divine
July 17, 2022 at 7:40 am
Carlo should be very careful because we loose to Barcelona by 4 goals to 0 without Benzema, and now if we miss Benzema, what are we expecting again? Not forgetting that Barcelona has signed some new players including Lewandoski.
He should better change his mind and bring back Benzema for the game coz we want a revenge on the 4:0 loose!!!!!!