French striker Karim Benzema, from Real Madridhas not recovered from a left calf injury and is out of the derby against Barcelona this Sunday, for the 29th round Spanish Championshipinformed this Saturday the coach of the Merengue team, Carlo Ancelloti.
Ancelotti confirmed that, in addition to Benzema, left-back Ferland Mendy, also injured, will not serve the French national team for the friendlies scheduled for next week, against Ivory Coast (25 March in Marseille) and South Africa (29 March in Lille).
The selection technician FranceDidier Deschamps, has called up veteran Milan striker Olivier Giroud to replace Benzema.
Benzema and Mendy were injured in Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Mallorca last Monday in the Spanish Championship.
The absence of the French striker, who is going through a great phase and is the competition’s top scorer with 22 goals, is a heavy blow for Ancelotti.
On the other hand, Real Madrid’s situation in the dispute for the LaLiga title is relatively comfortable, as it is a leader with 10 points ahead of second-placed Sevilla, and 15 points over Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid, third and fourth in the table.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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