Real Madrid centre forward, Karim Benzema, is returning to full fitness at just the right time for Real Madrid, who will play Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28 after moving past their semi-final opponents in Man City with a 1-0 aggregate.
Coach Zinedine Zidane was relieved to see the Frenchman come back from a hamstring problem and score in Sunday’s 3-2 triumph over Valencia. The victory kept Real Madrid just a point behind League leader Barcelona, with one game to go in the race for the title.
Zidane told Real Madrid’s website:
“He’s not been at 100 percent for a while. We’ve seen that it wasn’t easy for him physically.
“(Against Valencia) he coped with it well and without any problems. We’ve got two games left. He’s getting better every day and he’s not feeling any discomfort from his last injury.”
The French striker has missed 15 games this season through injury but has still scored 28 goals in 34 games in all competitions — close to his record of 31 goals in the 2011-12 campaign, the year Real last won La Liga. The 28-year-old has found the back of the net in 20 of his 34 appearances for Real in the 2015-16 campaign, scoring six more goals than last season. Cristiano Ronaldo is Real’s leading scorer in the league with 33 goals.
Benzema is even widely expected to start Saturday’s league season finale at Deportivo La Coruña as Real Madrid pray Barcelona slip in the final game of the season, as Atletico Madrid had lost out with their loss. Barcelona would play Granada in the final round of the games, and a victory would ensure they successfully defend the La Liga title they won last season. Benzema would not be joining his countrymen in Euro 2016 they host where and are among the favourites to lift the trophy.