 |
| Martin Valjent of RCD Mallorca competes for the ball with Karim Benzema of Real Madrid during the LaLiga Santander match between RCD Mallorca and Real Madrid CF at Estadio de Son Moix on March 14, 2022 in Mallorca, Spain. |
Karim Benzema wrote his name into the record books on Monday with a brace in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Mallorca, but the striker's night was soured when he was withdrawn injured that now puts his place in Sunday's el clasico in doubt.
Benzema's absence for the game against bitter rivals Barcelona at the Bernabeu would come as a serious blow to Madrid, after the striker continued his scintillating recent run with two more goals at Son Moix to take his La Liga goals tally this season to 22.
After scoring a hat-trick to help Madrid defeat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the Champions League last week, the 34-year-old's penalty against Mallorca took his career tally to 412 goals, putting him one above Thierry Henry in the all-time list of French scorers.
Benzema then made it 413 for him and three for Madrid with a superb header late on, only to limp off in obvious discomfort with what looked like an injury in his lower left leg late on.
Vinicius Junior, who opened the scoring, and Rodrygo also suffered problems in the second half.
We will look at it in the next few days, said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. They don't seem like very serious things. Rodrygo was a knock, [Ferland] Mendy has felt something in his adductor and Karim, after a jump, didn't feel good. We'll see if they can recover for Sunday.
Victory took Madrid 10 points clear of Sevilla at the top of La Liga and gives them a sizeable cushion over Barca despite the Catalan club's recent uptick in form.
Yet there will be no doubt Barcelona would love to rubberstamp their progress under Xavi with a victory at the home of their fiercest rivals while a win for Madrid would serve as further confirmation of their dominance this season.
We have the advantage and it's good at this point in the season, said Ancelotti. We have to think about winning on Sunday, that's all.
