D-6. On February 15, Real Madrid will play the most important first match of its season on the lawn of Paris Saint-Germain, as part of the knockout stages of the Champions League, pending the return scheduled for March 9 at the Santiago Bernabeu. But the Merengue side may have to contend without their best player at the Parc des Princes: Karim Benzema, who has a hamstring injury.
Six games played without Benzema this season
On January 23, the French goalscorer went out with an injury against Elche (2-2) in La Liga, holding the back of his thigh. He hasn’t played again since. What seemed like a simple discomfort at the time would eventually be a “small tear in the femoral bicep,” according to Marca. And in the Spanish capital, serious doubts now exist about the participation of KB9 in the eighth round of the Champions League first leg…
Now playing: Will Benzema play against PSG?
Not to be missed
Enough to pose a serious problem for Carlo Ancelotti. How to compose without your best player? The Italian technician has been confronted with this situation six times since the beginning of the season. And Madrid has lost only one game without the Frenchman. The penultimate, against Athletic Bilbao (0-1) in the King’s Cup. Despite the possession of the ball, the Merengue were dominated in the statistics by the Basques, and they never managed to find the fault without KB9, replaced by … Marco Asensio in a role of false N °9.
Ancelotti will not touch his 4-3-3
The other five games were, of course, a victory, but they were against teams of a lower caliber. Apart from the one against Inter Milan (2-0) in the Champions League, with goals from Toni Kroos and Asensio, who came off the bench to replace Rodrygo on the right side. But PSG and its stars, it’s a different story … So how will Ancelotti adapt his XI at the Parc des Princes if Benzema did declare forfeit?
Job-for-job replacement with Jovic
Let’s start from an obvious principle: Ancelotti will not touch his fetish 4-3-3. He has proved that every time Benzema has been away. With, more often than not, position for position: Luka Jovic has been called up twice, as has Mariano Diaz. Otherwise, the Italian technician opted for a fake N ° 9: with Isco against Granada (1-0) in La Liga, or Asensio against Bilbao, so.
Will Ancelotti choose this option? Jovic seems to be the designated candidate for a place in the XI, but difficult to approach with confidence the most important match of the season with a striker who has rattled the nets only once this season. As for Mariano Diaz, he has not yet recovered from his pelvic injury, and the Dominican will probably be too fair for Paris.
A fake N°9 to replace Benzema?
The other solution is that of the fake N°9. With a favorite, there too: Asensio, who rattled the net twice when Benzema was away. Against Inter Milan and Granada. But every time in a position… as a right winger. And the difficulties encountered by the Spaniard against Bilbao, this time in a role of false N ° 9, probably did not escape Ancelotti, who replaced him with Isco in the following match.
Isco, then? Despite this victory by the smallest of margins against Granada, Real Madrid literally ate their opponent. But here we are talking about Granada. Not from PSG, who remain one of the favourites to win the Champions League final. Let’s not forget Gareth Bale, fit but stayed on the bench in the last few games…
A change during the match?
Obviously, it is not impossible to see Ancelotti using both options. Namely a top striker in the first half, say Jovic, who would be replaced around the 60th minute by a winger, say Asensio. Or the other way around, as was the case against Granada last Sunday, with the Serbian coming in to deputise for Isco thirty minutes from time.
Change of system that could also shake PSG, rarely able to adapt during the match. But in any case, Madrid will be a loser at the exchange rate without Benzema. Enough to do the business of Betting. Be careful, however, because the capital club is never in as much danger as when it is presented as a favorite. And we don’t take from the top a club that has won the Queen of competitions 13 times…