Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is believed to be winning his battle to overcome a hamstring problem in order to take to the field against Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby on Sunday night.
The 33-year-old has been in strong form for Los Blancos this season, finding the back of the net on 17 occasions in 20 appearances in all competitions, in addition to contributing eight assists.
In La Liga, Benzema has managed 12 goals and seven assists in 15 outings, but he had emerged as a doubt for this match due to the hamstring issue that he suffered against Real Sociedad last weekend, which forced him to miss the Champions League clash with Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Real Madrid are currently top of La Liga, eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla and 10 clear of fourth-placed Atletico.
Here, Sports Mole looks at how Benzema has fared against Atletico in the past.
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Benzema has faced Atletico 36 times during his Real Madrid career and boasts a mixed record against them, winning 16 times, drawing 11 and losing on nine occasions.
The Frenchman has managed six goals and four assists against the Red and Whites in all competitions, meanwhile, with the majority of the fixtures - 23 in total - taking place in La Liga.
Benzema has never scored against Atletico in the Champions League despite facing them on five occasions, but he helped his side overcome their capital rivals in both the 2014 and 2016 finals.
The forward has also tackled Atletico in the UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup but has interestingly lost two of those three encounters, while Benzema has a mixed Copa del Rey record against the Madrid giants, winning two, drawing one and losing two of their five meetings, failing to score in the process.
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Benzema has faced the reigning Spanish champions on 23 occasions in La Liga, meanwhile, boasting a record of 11 wins, eight draws and four defeats, scoring five times and contributing three assists in the process.
The France international scored on his third La Liga appearance against Atletico during the 2010-11 campaign and also found the back of the net in a 2-2 draw at Vicente Calderon during the 2013-14 season.
Benzema also netted away to Atletico in April 2015, while he has struck twice in his last three appearances against them, including a goal in a 1-1 draw at Wanda Metropolitano last season.
Interestingly, the striker has only netted once against the Red and Whites in La Liga at Bernabeu, with the effort coming in a 1-0 victory in February 2020.
Benzema has found it difficult to show his best form against Atletico in terms of finding the back of the net, but he has only lost four of his 23 league meetings with Real Madrid's bitter rivals, while he is unbeaten against Diego Simeone's side in La Liga since February 2016.
Matt Law
