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Karim Benzema has been injured for a couple of weeks now, missing a few games in the process. However, while the injury doesn’t seem as serious as one would think, anxiety about his possible availability is starting to build with the World Cup around the corner.
The Golden Ball winner missed the final Real Madrid match against Cadiz before the club season takes a long break for the World Cup. He hasn’t been training with the team either for some time now and France’s manager Didier Deschamps is getting increasingly worried that he will be without his prized forward in Qatar. Benzema’s injury issues are becoming ever more evident as he is getting older, as one would expect, but because it’s still relatively early in the season, there is a worry he will have to deal with even more issues in the future.
Coincidently, Real has been struggling without its best striker recently, losing to Rayo Vallecano and barely beating Cadiz. At the moment, they are trailing Barcelona at the top of La Liga rankings by two points. There were some suggestions from the public that Benzema is trying to protect himself to be fit for the World Cup, however, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti called those assumptions nonsense.
‘Karim was the first one to be disappointed with his injury, and the fact he can’t help his teammates. He has been trying very hard in the therapy room to recover quickly, but he still feels some discomfort with his muscle injury.’
Ancelotti did allay fears that Benzema would miss the World Cup.
‘Karim will play in Qatar, there is no doubt of that fact. However, what worries me is that he will travel to the World Cup without the necessary minutes, and training to be in the best possible shape. He suffered one injury earlier in the season, but he recovered well, hopefully, it will be the same this time around.’
Deschamps’ blockbuster squad
Benzema has been terrific for Real Madrid ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club as the Frenchmen has enjoyed his more prominent role in his team’s attack following the Portuguese superstar’s departure. He scored 27 times in Primera Division last season and an additional 15 in the Champions League which earned him a Ballon d’Or win recently.
He only returned to the French national team in 2021 after a six-year absence and will be eager to represent his country in Qatar.
Didier Deschamps revealed his final squad for the World Cup which features a blockbuster team that will be, not only the defending champions but also one of the favorites to win it all once again. Kylian Mbappe is leading the attack alongside Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Christopher Nkunku, Ousmane Dembele, and Kingsley Coman.
The defending champions didn’t have a good period recently failing to advance to the Final Four of the Nations League and underperforming in some matches against tough opposition. Many pundits suspect that without a significant result in Qatar, Didier Deschamps will leave his post after a successful run.
France’s World Cup group consists of Denmark, Australia, and Tunisia with the first match coming on November 22nd against the Socceroos.
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