Celebrated French striker Karim Benzema is to make a long awaited return to first team action when Liga Santander champions Real Madrid travel to Real Valladolid on Friday night. The Ballon d’Or winner missed the World Cup finals in Qatar after aggravating an injury that had kept him out of Los Blancos’ final game before the international break at home to Cadiz. The 35-year-old was world football’s standout player in 2021 after plundering 44 goals in 46 appearances but injuries have hampered his input this season.
The local press in France has inferred that the five-time Champions League winner’s retirement from Les Bleus duty immediately after the Qatar 2022 event was as a result of a falling out with France’s World Cup winning coach Didier Deschamps over his refusal to wait for him to recuperate. It turns out Benzema was fit to rejoin the national team in the knock out rounds. Benzema is Real’s second highest scorer of all time, behind former team mate Cristiano Ronaldo, and his goals are crucial to coach Carlo Ancelotti as he plots to bridge a two point deficit on sworn rivals Barcelona.
Xavi Hernandez’s Blaugrana must negotiate their next three La Liga ties, starting with a fixture against Espanyol on Saturday without 13-goal top scorer Robert Lewandowski who is serving a three game suspension. Either La Roja false nine Ferran Torres or rising star Ansu Fati will deputise for the Polish international in the Catalan derby and in matchups against Atletico Madrid and Real Betis.
Spanish Primera Liga action resumes on Thursday, December 29 with a triple header. Diego Simeone’s misfiring Atletico Madrid host bottom placed Elche in the late kick off, hours after newcomers Girona lock horns with Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis confront Athletic Bilbao. Action continues on Friday with Getafe battling Real Mallorca, Celta Vigo testing multiple Europa League winners Sevilla and Cadiz squaring off with Almeria.
THURSDAY
Girona v Rayo Vallecano,
Real Betis v Athletic Bilbao,
Atletico Madrid v Elche
FRIDAY
Getafe v Real Mallorca,
Celta Vigo v Sevilla,
Cadiz v Almeria,
Real Valladolid v Real Madrid
SATURDAY
Barcelona v Espanyol,
Real Sociedad v Osasuna,
Villarreal v Valencia