Ancelotti defends Benzema for not playing ahead of World Cup

09.11.2022 - 21:01 arabnews.com

MADRID: Carlo Ancelotti defended Karim Benzema from accusations he is not playing with Real Madrid to be ready for the World Cup, saying Wednesday the France striker himself is upset about his lack of minutes going into Qatar.

The 34-year-old Benzema, who has been dealing with muscle fatigue, will miss his sixth straight start when Madrid host Cádiz in the Spanish league on Thursday.

It will be the club’s last match before the World Cup break. Ancelotti said it was “silly” for people to say Benzema was trying to preserve himself for the France national team. “It’s a small ailment, and Karim has tried to recover from it,” the Madrid coach said. “He is the first one who is frustrated with the situation, as he is entering the World Cup without the minutes he would have needed to be in better condition.” Since winning the Ballon d’Or for best player of the year three weeks ago, Benzema missed matches against Sevilla, Leipzig, Girona and Rayo Vallecano.

He played less than 30 minutes after coming off the bench in a 5-1 rout of Celtic in the group stage of the Champions League this month.

cup Didier Deschamps Carlo Ancelotti Majed Al-Sorour Yazeed Al-Rajhi Darren Eales Russia Qatar France Spain New Zealand Saudi Arabia Pakistan parish St. James county Park

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