And coach Carlo Ancelotti said, earlier on Wednesday, that the participation of the French striker is in doubt, after he had to make an emergency exit early in the second half against Elche, in the Spanish first division last month.
And Ancelotti told a news conference hours before announcing the departure of Benzema from the squad heading to Bilbao: “We have not made a decision yet, but we will not take any risks. He trained separately from the group and will join his colleagues today, so we will see what happens.”
Ancelotti added two weeks before facing Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16: “We will not risk aggravating the injury and he knows it. If he does not play, it is because we want him to recover. If he is fine, he will travel with us, otherwise he will stay at home.”
But Ancelotti can count on Casemiro, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde returning from international matches in South America.
He said with a laugh: “Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo… are fine… they are both 21 years old, not 60 years old like me.”
He continued, “We will study whether we will rely on them from the beginning. If they feel tired, they can only play.”
Thursday’s confrontation will be the fourth between the two teams in two months in all competitions, and Real Madrid is keen to continue the series of victories after its victory in the previous three matches.
The Italian coach continued: “Nothing has changed. It is a very important match for us in a tournament we greatly appreciate and the atmosphere in Bilbao will be great. We will be at our best.”