Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has said that he would like Real Madrid to draw with Marseille in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Real Madrid have come into the draw for the quarter-finals after having beaten CSKA Moscow 5-2 on aggregate. Real Madrid are one of the favourites to win the Champions League this season. However, the recent good possibility that they will be drawn against the likes of Barcelona, Napoli, and AC Milan. Even though Karim Benzema has admitted that there are no easy games in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, he has said that he would like to play against Marseille given his French connections.
Karim Benzema was signed by Real Madrid from French club Lyon a few years ago for around £ 35 million. Even though he failed to live up to the promise initially, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has become a great favourite of the player so much so that Karim Benzema has often found himself in the starting line-up ahead of regular first-team player Gonzalo Higuain. Marseille have come into the draw for the quarter-finals after having won against Inter Milan in an extremely close encounter. The 2-1 victory at the San Siro was enough to see them through on away goals.
“As a Frenchman, I would like to meet Olympique de Marseille in the quarter-finals. However, at this stage of the competition, there are only great teams left. We all knew what had to be done against CSKA and we all gave a great performance. All that mattered was reaching the next round. We are well aware of the importance of this competition,” Benzema said. It would certainly be interesting to see the reaction of Barcelona if they were to draw against Real Madrid, against whom they have a great record in recent seasons.