Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has said he will not take any risks with top scorer Karim Benzema in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg tie against Atalanta, even with his side seriously short on striking options.
Benzema has scored 17 goals for Real this term but was one of nine enforced absences from Saturday's 1-0 win away to Real Valladolid in La Liga, a victory that moved them to within three points of leaders Atletico Madrid, who suffered a shock home defeat to Levante.
Mariano Diaz was the lone striker against Valladolid due to the absence of Benzema while wide forwards Eden Hazard and Rodrygo are also injured for the trip to Italy.
"We're [not] going to take any risks with Benzema because there's a long way to go in the season, and many games left to play," Zidane said.
"If he's OK he'll travel with us, if he isn't, he will not. We never take risks. Maybe we would if it was the Champions League final or the last game of the league season with the title on the line, but there's a long way to go.
"He has another scan tomorrow [Sunday] and we'll see how he is then."
The Spanish champions' injury crisis was highlighted by a study conducted by newspaper Marca. According to the Spanish daily, Real have suffered 41 injuries this season, in addition to five players missing games after testing positive for Covid-19. Twenty players have had spells on the sidelines, meanwhile, missing a combined 146 games.
With only 12 first-team players available for the trip to Valladolid, Zidane had to dip into Real's fountain of youth with youngsters Hugo Duro and Sergio Arribas coming on as substitutes.
Zidane did not hide his frustration over the injury crisis but praised his side for recording a fourth straight league win - courtesy of Casemiro's second-half header - in spite of their stretched resources.
"We aren't happy with the situation at all, we've talked about it a lot but there's not much we can do about it," he said.
"We have a lot of injuries but the players we do have available are very committed and we have to keep going. I'm delighted with everyone who played today, we worked hard all week and this is our reward."
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Federer's 19 grand slam titles
Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal
French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling
Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic
US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
