Real Madrid suffer injury setback with star forward sidelined

Real Madrid CF failed to stake their claim to the sole lead on top of the La Liga table when they only managed a draw against Osasuna on Wednesday. They have another opportunity to get on top on Saturday when they face Elche, but manage Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that star forward Karim Benzema will be left out of the squad.

The La Liga top scorer and Ballon d'Or contender has been a real talisman for Los Blancos this season, and they will be hoping that his knock is minor. According to Marca, the Frenchman is being evaluated by the club's medical team after experiencing pain in his instep in recent days.

The "sharp pain" reportedly started weeks ago during Real Madrid's shock defeat at the hands of Sheriff Tiraspol in matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League. He has been playing through the pain since, soldiering through the all-important El Clasico and the recent draw against Osasuna.

The knock is currently being described as "minor" but more will surely be revealed in the coming days. Benzema already missed the training session on Friday at Valdebebas ahead of the Elche match, and it remains to be seen what happens after this weekend.

Ancelotti will be hoping that it is something that Benzema can recover from quickly, and he can take the time to rest now before the crucial stages of the season roll around in a few months.

Benzema has been a workhorse for Real Madrid all throughout the previous season and the current one, with only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao logging in more time on the pitch. However, Ancelotti knows that he needs to be able to give major players respite if they want to last until the end of the season in top form.

Luckily, Vinicius Jr. has been a revelation this season, and he will need to prove himself effective even without the Frenchman to guide him. Fellow youngster Rodrygo Goes has also been doing very well, with Marco Asensio also making some notable contributions.

Meanwhile, the forward trio of Eden Hazard, Mariano and Luka Jovic really need to get their seasons going, with all three having been mostly invisible so far.