Karim Benzema could miss Clasico against Barcelona amid Chelsea Champions League clash

Karim Benzema has not been ruled out for Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona, but Real Madrid currently believe that their striker has a 40 percent chance of participating in the match at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti is not going to take any risks with Benzema, as Real Madrid’s priority is to make sure that the Frenchman is fully fit for the Champions League quarter-finals against Chelsea.

Los Blancos are currently 10 points ahead of second-placed Sevilla in LaLiga Santander and as many as 15 points clear of third-placed Barcelona.

As explained in MARCA, the Clasico is key to Real Madrid’s hopes of clinching the LaLiga Santander title, but Los Blancos would rather Benzema miss the match against Barcelona than the tie with Chelsea.

The good news is that medical examination showed that Benzema’s injury is minor. Meanwhile, Ancelotti will have all of his players at his disposal bar Ferland Mendy, who is sidelined with a knock.

Bale trained indoors on Friday, but he is not suffering from an injury. His focus is on Wales’ upcoming 2022 World Cup playoff against Austria.

The last training session prior the Clasico will take place on Saturday at 11:00 CET (10:00 GMT), and it will be open to the media for 15 minutes whilst also being broadcast live on Real Madrid TV.