Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar back in team training ahead of Barcelona clash
Real Madrid fans across the world will breathe a sigh of relief as captain and superstar striker Karim Benzema is back in team training ahead of tomorrow’s El Clasico against Barcelona.
The 35-year-old striker had hobbled off with an ankle issue in the Merengues’ last game against Liverpool earlier this week, raising concerns over his availability.
After all, Benzema had missed last weekend’s La Liga encounter against RCD Espanyol due to an ankle issue.
The centre-forward did not participate in training with the rest of the team on Friday, although there was always confidence that he would be back in time for the game against Barcelona.
Now, Jorge C Picon is reporting that the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner is participating in the group training session on the eve of the Clasico versus Barcelona.
This is certainly a huge boost for Real Madrid ahead of a vital clash against their arch-rivals. It is a must-win game for Carlo Ancelotti & co. considering that a defeat would allow Barça to stretch their lead atop the table to 12 points.
Such a situation would mean that the Merengues could very well kiss goodbye to the defence of their La Liga title.
Having their inspirational captain on the pitch when they take on Xavi’s men at Spotify Camp Nou will thus be extremely pivotal.
With Benzema returning to the fold, Real Madrid have only one notable absentee for the trip to Catalonia as David Alaba remains sidelined.
Meanwhile, Alvaro Rodriguez is also set to be unavailable as he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season while playing for Castilla recently, which means he is suspended for accumulation of cards.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
