Real Madrid star Karim Benzema ruled out of El Clasico through injury

Karim Benzema will not feature in Real Madrid’s El Clasico clash against Barcelona on Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed.

After scoring a brace in a 3-0 win over Mallorca on Monday, the striker was forced off in the latter stages of the match.

Benzema has been in top form for Madrid, scoring 32 goals across all competitions, including a hat-trick to help his side come from behind to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16.

But Ancelotti will be without the 34-year-old, and also left-back Ferland Mendy, when Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Bernabeu this weekend.

‘Benzema and Mendy won’t be involved tomorrow and they’ll start working with us next week,’ Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Sunday’s clash.

‘They’re going to stay here with us. I’m not going to take any risks. I didn’t force things in the PSG game.’

‘I have made a decision on who is going to replace Benzema but I’m not going to tell you who it is,’ Ancelotti added.

‘Bale is an alternative to Benzema, as is Mariano, Jovic, Isco and Rodrygo. There are a lot of options but I will choose the one I think is best for this match.

‘We can beat Barcelona without Benzema. He is very important part [of the team], a great finisher. We have to look for different solutions in attack without Benzema.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.