Benzema did not recover in time for the match.
Real Madrid have published their squad list for Wednesday’s match against Atalanta in the first leg of the Champions League’s Round of 16.
REAL MADRID SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin and Altube.
Defenders: R. Varane, Nacho, F. Mendy, Chust and Miguel.
Midfielders: Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Isco, Arribas and Blanco.
Forwards: Asensio, Lucas V., Vini Jr., Mariano and Hugo Duro.
Real Madrid were hoping to have Karim Benzema back with the squad in time for this game but the French attacker will be forced to miss it, meaning that backup attacker Mariano Diaz will almost certainly be the one starting the game.
All things considered, Zidane will likely deploy the same starting XI he used against Valladolid, with Courtois, Vazquez, Varane, Nacho, Mendy, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Asensio, Vinicius and Mariano playing and Isco being the one and only first-team player on the bench.
Real Madrid have a better team than Atalanta but it’s time for them to prove that on the pitch.