Karim Benzema insisted Real Madrid are not overly dependent on his goals as Carlo Ancelotti s men prepare to face Inter in Wednesday s Champions League clash.
Madrid open their campaign with a trip to San Siro, having won just one of their previous eight away games against Inter in European competition.
Benzema, who is set to feature in his 17th consecutive Champions League, needs just one goal to overtake Raul and become the all-time fourth highest scorer in the competition.
However, the forward deflected questions as to whether his side are too reliant on his output and chose to focus on the team dynamic of Los Blancos.
Real Madrid are a very strong team, Benzema said at Tuesday s pre-match news conference. What I need to do is try to help my team with…
Karim Benzema is feeling very good and is ready to play a part in Real Madrid s next match after returning to training on Wednesday.
The France striker missed Madrid s last three matches prior to the international break with a knee injury and played no part in his country s two Nations League games.
However, Benzema has recovered from the injury sustained against Celtic on September 6 and is in contention to start Sunday s LaLiga clash against Osasuna.
I m pleased to be back with the team, he told the club s official website. It s been some time [away] and I ve had time to do a pre-season.
I m feeling very good, comfortable. I m looking forward to the game on Sunday.
I ve been doing a lot of fitness work. I ve not touched the ball but I traine…
German striker Miroslav Klose has agreed to extend his deal at Stadio Olimpico, reports Il Tempo.
The veteran forward will be out of contract in the summer and he was heavily linked with a move to the MLS at the end of the season.
However, it appears he has changed his mind and decided to remain at Stadio Olimpico after all. Il Tempo reports he has agreed to take a pay cut while signing a one-year contract extension.
Miroslav Klose will be 36 by the time the new season starts, but the Biancocelesti, nevertheless, believe he still has a lot to offer.
The Germany international arrived at Lazio on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2011 and has since bagged 32 goals in 73 Serie A outings.
His side face Catania away on Sunday afterno…
Manchester United will host bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford in Round 3 of the Capital One Cup on Wednesday, September 25.
United and Liverpool are coming off agonizing defeats to Manchester City and Southampton, respectively, with both clubs desperate to redeem themselves in midweek.
Speaking ahead of Sunday s Manchester derby, Wayne Rooney told reporters: “City have had their success recently, but I would probably say that United and Liverpool is still the biggest game.
“They’re all big games, but obviously United and Liverpool has been a massive game over the years. I’d say it’s still the biggest game.”
After a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, Rooney and co. must bounce back in a big way against the Merseysiders on Wednes…
Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho appeared to share a frosty exchange at Manchester United training on Wednesday to further fuel talk of a rift between the pair.
Following Tuesday s penalty shoot-out loss to Championship side Derby County in the EFL Cup a match the rested Pogba watched from the stands Mourinho confirmed he had stripped him of United s vice-captaincy.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss denied there has been any fall out with Pogba but footage of the 25-year-old s welcome to the AON Training Complex pitches the day after made for intriguing viewing.
In a clip aired by Sky Sports News, Pogba is shown jogging on to the field and shaking hands with first-team coach Michael Carrick, Mourinho and another member of staff, at which point the manager ap…
Romelu Lukaku described Alexis Sanchez as one of the hardest-working players he has seen after watching him score the winning goal for Manchester United against Newcastle United on Saturday.
The home side battled from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Old Trafford and alleviate some of the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
Sanchez has struggled for form since joining from Arsenal in January but came off the bench to head home in the 90th minute and end his side s four-game winless run.
And Lukaku was full of praise for his team-mate s determination after he netted for the first time this season.
I would have wanted to have been in his shoes, but the guy is working really hard, Lukaku told MUTV.
I think he s one of the most hard-working professionals I hav…
Atletico Madrid s unbeaten start to their LaLiga title defence came to an end as Victor Laguardia s early goal proved decisive in a 1-0 win for struggling Deportivo Alaves.
Alaves headed into Saturday s early game having lost all five LaLiga matches in 2021-22, yet they overcame the champions to claim a first top-flight win over Atleti since 2003.
Laguardia was the crucial figure. His fourth-minute header gave Alaves the lead, and the 31-year-old also made a vital clearance off the line in the second half.
Mamadou Loum and Tomas Pina squandered golden chances to make sure of the points for Alaves, but Diego Simeone s team could not make their fortune count as they tasted defeat in LaLiga for the first time since April.
Javier Calleja made five changes f…
Liverpool legend and former England international Roger Hunt has died at the age of 83.
Hunt won the World Cup with England in 1966, playing in all six matches and scoring three times as he managed 34 caps for the Three Lions between 1962 and 1969.
He also spent 11 and a half years at Liverpool, where he scored 285 goals in 492 games, collecting two English top-flight titles and an FA Cup as he formed a fearsome partnership with Ian St John under the management of Bill Shankly.
His overall goal tally for the Reds stood as a club record until Ian Rush surpassed the haul in 1992, while no player has ever scored more league goals for Liverpool than Hunt s 244.
Liverpool sat in the second tier when Hunt joined in 1959, but his 41 goals in 42 matches fired the…
Serie A minnows Catania have signed Argentine midfielder Alejandro Gomez from San Lorenzo for three million euros, reports said on Wednesday.
Although the Sicilians have made no official comment on the transfer, Italian news agency Ansa reports that the Argentine club reveal the news on their website.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder was part of the Argentina team that won the under-20 World Cup in Canada in 2007.
He began his career at Arsenal de Sarandi in 2005 before switching to Buenos Aires side San Lorenzo in 2009.
…
(GSM) Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna has admitted that he feels privileged to be linked with Catalonia giants Barcelona.
Reports in Spain have suggested that Barca are considering the signing of Senna as a cover for defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets and as a replacement for Yaya Toure, who recently departed Camp Nou for Manchester City.
Brazilian-born midfielder, who was a star performer for Spain as they clinched the European title in 2008, had an injury plagued season last year and consequently missing out on this summer s World Cup.
While being on a pre-season tour with the Yellow Submarine in Ireland, the 34-year-old admits he would be thrilled to make a switch to Barca.
For me, it s an honour and a dream that Barca are thinking of me, said S…