In a press conference, on the eve of Real’s trip to Leipzig in the Champions League, the Italian technician justified the precautions taken with the recent Ballon d’Or, weakened by muscle fatigue.
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He should not join the long list of uncertain French internationals for the 2022 World Cup. Karim Benzema was rested on Saturday, the day Real Madrid disposed of Sevilla in La Liga (3-1). A press release from the merengue club specified before the meeting that the fresh Ballon d’Or suffered from a “muscle fatigue in the left quadriceps”. His coach, Carlo Ancelotti, confirmed at a press conference on Monday October 24 that the Frenchman will not play the Champions League match against Leipzig on Tuesday evening (9 p.m.) either.
“I don’t think my players are already thinking about the World Cup, even if they want to arrive in form in Qatar. But to get in shape, you have to have continuity in the club. For Karim (Benzema) and Luka (Modric), these are only small physical glitches, but we don’t want to take any risks. I’d rather lose Modric or Benzema for a game than for a month.”warned the Italian technician, who will also not have Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos and Mariano Diaz, when it comes to validating qualification for the knockout stages.
“It’s a very intense moment in the season, with too many matches, in my opinion. We’re holding on, even if we have some absentees. But the World Cup comes at the right time…”slipped the coach who guided the Merengues to the crown in the Champions League last season.