Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has announced that star striker Karim Benzema and promising young midfielder Eduardo Camavinga will miss Tuesday’s crucial La Liga clash away to Girona.
However, Ancelotti expects the influential duo to return to action for Saturday’s home game against Almeria.
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The Italian manager provided a fitness update in his pre-match press conference on Monday, confirming that Benzema and Camavinga picked up knocks in the win over Celta Vigo at the weekend but should recover in time for the weekend.
Defender David Alaba is also set to be available for selection again after missing the Celta victory.
“Benzema and Camavinga will miss out and Ceballos is suspended. Camavinga finished the game but felt some discomfort from a knock. I think they should be ready for Almeria,” Ancelotti said. “Mendy and Alaba won’t be there either. Alaba is recovering well and shouldn’t be a problem for the Copa del Rey final.”
Ancelotti stressed the importance of Benzema, saying:
“If he recovers from his knock, he’ll play against Almeria. He’s shown a fantastic level recently and you keep that up by playing, not resting. If he’s fit, he wants to play and so do we.”
With Barcelona beating Atletico Madrid on Sunday, the gap at the top remains 11 points but Ancelotti believes that deficit does not reflect the quality of the two teams.
Benzema and Camavinga to Miss La Liga Clash Against Girona
“There’s no way there should be 11 points between us. We’re evenly matched and the difference has come down to small details. We want to reduce it,” he said.
Ancelotti also commented on the poor state of the pitch at the Bernabeu, which has suffered during the ongoing stadium renovations. The surface affected Marco Asensio’s shot during the win over Celta.
“Every team wants to play on a beautiful pitch. We know the problems at the Bernabeu and won’t complain,” Ancelotti said. “It’s clear our pitch is suffering due to the works but they will fix it as soon as possible.”
