Carlo Ancelotti reveals Karim Benzema is ‘100 per cent fit’ for Champions League clash against Liverpool despite missing the victory over Espanyol due to a knock
- Karim Benzema will be fit to play a full part against Liverpool on Wednesday
- The striker was a doubt for the game at The Bernabeu because of a knock
- Benzema scored twice in the first leg against Liverpool last month
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Karim Benzema is 100 per cent fit for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Liverpool.
There was uncertainty over whether Benzema would be able to feature at The Bernabeu because of a knock, but he will be fit to play on Wednesday.
Benzema wasn’t involved in the league win over Espanyol but ahead of the Liverpool game Ancelotti declared: ‘Karim is 100% ready and excited. For everyone, this is a very important competition.’
As Ancelotti alluded to, Benzema relishes playing in the Champions League and he hit a brace against Liverpool in the first leg as Real ran out 5-2 winners.
Although he is 35-year-old Benzema remains one of the standout strikers in Europe and Liverpool will certainly face a tough task as they look to stop him from making a major impact again.
Carlo Ancelotti revealed Karim Benzema is 100 per cent fit for the game against Liverpool
Benzema’s availability will be a huge boost for Ancelotti’s side, who currently lead the tie 5-2
Benzema took a full part in training on Tuesday as Real prepared for the game.
Real are set to be without left-backs Ferland Mendy and David Alaba, which means that Nacho Fernandez or Eduardo Camavinga will be called upon at left-back.
Despite mainly being a midfielder, Camavinga has produced some encouraging performances at left-back in the past.
Ancelotti praised Eduardo Camavinga (left) who could feature at left-back against Liverpool
Against Espanyol Camavinga made an error that led to a goal, but Ancelotti spoke highly of the 20-year-old.
Ancelotti said: ‘Camavinga is very important, he’s doing very well.
‘In the last game he obviously made mistakes, but by playing so well he makes us forget about all the bad things. Against Espanyol he made a big mistake, but then he played very well.
‘He is untouchable today and he will be untouchable in the future as well.’
Real have won Europe’s elite club competition a record 14 times, with their most recent success coming when they beat Liverpool in last season’s final.
However, in LaLiga this season Real haven’t been as consistent as they would have liked – they are currently nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona.