Real Madrid look to Benzema to revive their ailing form

Real Madrid can hope to overcome the one goal deficit in their Champions League last 16 clash with Paris Saint Germain but the La Liga leaders need their strikers to rediscover their form beginning at home to struggling Alaves on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti's side have been far from clinical in front of goal recently their blank in the 1-0 defeat by PSG on Tuesday the third time in four matches they have failed to score.

This goal drought has also contributed to the poor run of form with just one win in their last five matches in all competitions. Whilst talismanic striker Karim Benzema returned to the starting line-up against PSG he looked understandably rusty after being out injured since January 23.

In the absence of the French international who tops the club scoring list with 24 in all competitions this term -- his Brazilian strike partner Vinicius Junior has looked a bit lost. Although they hold a four point lead over Sevilla who are away at Espanyol on Sunday goals and the points to boot would be most welcome for Ancelotti and his side on Saturday.

The drying up of goals and their form could also be partly to do with a problem that the Italian coach saw against PSG -- a lack of service from midfield. However, even the normally unflappable Ancelotti was taken aback by the failure of his midfield to provide anything for Benzema and Vinicius Jr and said he wanted to see a more effective performance on Saturday.

"Normally we do not have as many problems as that in providing the service when we press hard, but there (in Paris) we failed," he said. Real's woes are relative to that of city rivals and defending champions Atletico Madrid, whose decade long love affair with coach Diego Simeone is showing signs of fraying at