MADRID, March 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The French forward Karim Benzema is the great absence in the Real Madrid squad list to receive RCD Espanyol this Saturday (2:00 p.m.) at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium due to a blow to the ankle, a call-up with casualties in addition to Ferland Mendy and David Alaba, as reported by the merengue entity.
The white coach, Carlo Ancelotti, confirmed at a press conference that the French ‘nine’ suffers from discomfort in his ankle after receiving a blow, which has prevented him from training with his teammates this week. The Italian explained that it is something “that can happen” and that, having not recovered in time for this Saturday, he prefers not to take risks with his captain so that he is in “optimal condition” for Liverpool’s visit this Wednesday.
The whites will face the ‘red’ team in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabéu and just five days later they will travel to the Camp Nou in a key Classic to find out if Real Madrid’s options to retain the title of League are real. But Ancelotti will not be able to count on Benzema for the first “rung” of the ladder that he will have to climb in this “fantastic” week.
In addition, the coach will not be able to count on full-back Ferland Mendy, who will be tested in training on Sunday to see if he is fit for the duel with the English, nor on defender David Alaba, who continues to work alone due to a muscle injury. . However, Ancelotti recovers striker Mariano Díaz for a list in which youth squad player Álvaro Rodríguez repeats for the sixth consecutive time.
Thus, the call is made up of goalkeepers Courtois, Lunin and Luis López; defenders Carvajal, Militao, Vallejo, Nacho, Odriozola, Lucas Vázquez and Rüdiger; Kroos, Modric, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni and Ceballos, as midfielders; and the strikers Hazard, Asensio, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Mariano and Álvaro Rodríguez.