03 February 2023 , 00:40
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Karim Benzema is expected to be fit for Real Madrid's last-16 Champions League clash against Liverpool after suffering an injury on Thursday night.
The Ballon d'Or holder, 35, limped out of Real's 2-0 win against Valencia at the Bernabeu to cast doubt over his participation in the upcoming last-16 tie. Yet manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed the injury is "very light" and he should be fit for Real's next game.
The Spanish giants travel to Mallorca on Sunday before heading off to Morocco for the Club World Cup. The Champions League holders, who will enter at the semi-final stage, are the favourites for the tournament and have won it on four previous occasions.
Ancelotti was asked to give an update on the fitness of Benzema and Eder Militao, who also suffered an injury against Valencia, after the game. The Italian coach said: "Benzema is something very light, but Militao is not going to recover for Sunday."
The first leg of the Champions League clash between Real and Liverpool takes place at Anfield in just 19 days' time, while the return leg at the Bernabeu is pencilled in for March 15.
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Liverpool must win the Champions League to ensure they do not finish the season without a major trophy. The Reds, who defeated Manchester City 3-1 to win the Community Shield last July, are enduring a difficult campaign under Jurgen Klopp.
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Liverpool are ninth in the Premier League table - 10 points behind Manchester United in fourth with a game in hand - and winning the Champions League might be their best chance of qualifying for next season's tournament, such is their inconsistency of late.
Liverpool have also failed to make an impact in cup competitions this season. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Man City just before Christmas, while high-flying Brighton inflicted a memorable FA Cup upset on them at the end of January.
Real, who are second in the LaLiga table, are the favourites for the upcoming last-16 tie. The defending champions defeated Liverpool in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals, and they knocked out Klopp's side in the quarter-finals two years ago.
Klopp told Liverpool fans they should be excited about the last-16 clash. "The first thing that we can say about this draw is it is proper Champions League," he told Liverpool's website. "This is a tie that speaks for itself and one that we should all be excited about.
"I know we have played Real Madrid in a couple of recent finals but it is not so often that our two clubs have met in a two-legged tie so now we can look forward to this happening.
"Real’s European record is the best around. We know this. But we also know that ours is not too bad. On top of this, we know that we have Anfield and everyone knows what this means. It is a really good draw. A really exciting draw."