Thibaut Courtois and Karim Benzema are not included in Real Madrid’s roster for Wednesday’s Club World Cup semifinal matchup against Al Ahly.
Last week’s 2-0 LaLiga victory over Valencia left captain Benzema with a leg injury; as a result, the striker was unable to play in Sunday’s shocking 1-0 defeat at Real Mallorca.
In the warm-up before that loss to Mallorca, Madrid’s goalkeeper Courtois sustained a groin strain. As a result, Madrid now trails league-leading Barcelona by eight points.
Both players did not travel with the Madrid team on Monday to Rabat, Morocco, along with Eder Militao, Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy, and Eden Hazard.
If Madrid defeats Egyptian team Al Ahly, key players Benzema and Courtois still have a chance to be healthy for Saturday’s final against Flamengo or Al Hilal.
The Champions League last-16 first-leg match against Liverpool is also in a fortnight for Los Blancos, who have won the competition four times in the previous eight seasons.
📋✅ Our 22 players travelling to Rabat!#ClubWC pic.twitter.com/Mg7fbCfhZl
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 6, 2023