Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti is hopeful that Karim Benzema will be available for next week's Champions League contest with Liverpool.
The Spanish and European champions will head to Anfield on Tuesday evening for the first leg of their last-16 clash with Jurgen Klopp's side.
Benzema has been ruled out of Real Madrid's La Liga game with Osasuna on Saturday due to muscular fatigue, but he has a chance of featuring in the European contest with Liverpool.
"Karim won't be here tomorrow. He has a bit of fatigue and hopefully he will be on Tuesday. [Toni] Kroos won't be here either because of flu but [Thibaut] Courtois and [Eden] Hazard are back," Ancelotti told reporters during his press conference ahead of the Osasuna clash.
© Reuters
"After the World Cup he (Benzema) has done very well. He has scored in almost every game. And he is not injured: we simply prefer, because of his age, to give him rest.
"We don't want to take risks with Benzema because he is tired and it can be risky. If tomorrow's opponent was Liverpool, he wouldn't play either."
Benzema has had his injury problems this season, but it has been another productive campaign for the Frenchman, scoring 16 times and registering four assists in 23 appearances in all competitions.
In La Liga, the forward has 11 goals and three assists in 13 appearances, but he failed to register in his four outings in the group stage of the Champions League.
© Reuters
Ancelotti has insisted that he is not currently thinking about Tuesday's trip to Anfield, with his full focus on picking up a positive result against Osasuna.
A victory for Real Madrid on Saturday would see them move to within five points of La Liga leaders Barcelona, who host Cadiz on Sunday night.
"The hours spent on Tuesday's game are zero so far. I'm dedicating 24 hours to tomorrow's game. It's a very important game to close the gap on Barcelona. I'm not thinking about Tuesday's lineup but about tomorrow's and it could even be the same," said the Italian.
"The objective is to keep putting pressure on Barcelona. To reduce the deficit. You know that the calendar is very demanding and we have to get to this moment with a good feeling and we seem to be doing well. But football is a game in which you can go from good to bad straight away and the other way around."
Real Madrid will be missing Ferland Mendy, Kroos, Benzema and Mariano Diaz for Saturday's game with Osasuna, but Courtois and Hazard are both back in the squad.
Matt Law
