Karim Benzema injury update: Real Madrid star could miss crunch Inter clash after strain

Real Madrid were delivered a telling blow on Sunday after Valencia ran out winners against the Spanish champions at home. Carlos Soler displayed pinpoint accuracy from the spot as he converted thrice to score a hat-trick and lead his side to victory. Los Blancos saw Karim Benzema score a peach of a goal, but the Frenchman was later substituted after suffering a knock.

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Real Madrid vs Valencia: Benzema hamstring injury not 'very serious'

Karim Benzema hobbled off the field in the 76th minute after taking a knock and was subsequently replaced by Mariano Diaz. The 32-year-old is a key part of Zinedine Zidane's setup, having started in all the games this season except the match against Shakhtar, where he came on at half-time. Reports from Diario AS suggest that the injury is not as serious and the Frenchman was withdrawn as a precautionary measure. Benzema will undergo further tests to assess the extent of a possible hamstring strain. 

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Karim Benzema injury update: When will Benzema return?

With Benzema out of favour with France, the two-week international break will serve the 32-year-old enough time to recover. The former French international's injury has been put down to overload and he could miss the games after the end of the international break. 

Los Blancos have two vital fixtures in the space of four days as soon as the break ends, with a LaLiga clash against Villarreal, followed by a Champions League game against Inter Milan. The latter will decide Zinedine Zidane's side's future in the tournament and a negative result could see his tenure end prematurely. Benzema is likely to be a doubt for both games but could return against Alaves. 

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Benzema has been Real Madrid's talisman since club legend Cristiano Ronaldo left for Italian giants Juventus in 2018. The 32-year-old has already netted six goals across all competitions this season,  having scored 30 and 27 respectively in the previous two campaigns.

The French striker is a bonafide Los Blancos legend and having scored 255 goals across all competitions for them, is fifth in their leading goal-scorers charts. Benzema is the 15th highest goal scorer in LaLiga history with 172 goals, while he's fifth in the Champions League top scorers list, only behind former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.

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(Image Courtesy: Real Madrid Instagram)