Karim Benzema, a striker for France, will play in his first World Cup match since 2014.
As fitness issues continue to haunt Didier Deschamps‘ team, Karim Benzema believes he is “fine” despite experiencing an injury scare only 15 minutes into Tuesday’s France training session. Presnel Kimpembe and Christopher Nkunku had already been lost to injury for the defending world champions in the last few days, and there were concerns about Cristiano Ronaldo’s health as he staggered out of training just before Les Blues’ flight to Qatar.
Benzema has only played seven times in La Liga this season and is already struggling to regain his previous level of fitness.
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Because of this, when he seemed to pick up an issue, alarm bells started to go off, but Benzema has since provided assurances that everything is fine.
He said to RMC Sport: “I’m good. Although I wasn’t severely hurt, I did not tear anything. I wasn’t 100%, but I could play. I stretched out properly after my workout and did a good job.”
Next Tuesday is when France’s World Cup campaign gets underway against Australia, giving Benzema plenty of time to rest up before the Group D opener.
The Real Madrid duo will try to lead Les Blues to victory in the Middle East, and Eduardo Camavinga, who injured compatriot Nkunku on Tuesday after a hard challenge, thinks Benzema is close to returning to full fitness.
I have a great relationship with him and he helps me a lot at Real Madrid, Camavinga said. “He’s doing so much better.”
“I hope he will be fine to play in the World Cup. He is a really talented player and deserves everything is happening to him.”
To reinforce his squad for the competition, Deschamps has recently given additional call-ups to Axel Disasi, Marcus Thuram, and Randal Kolo Muani.
Thuram was the 26th and final Frenchman to be nominated to the world champions’ roster, while Disasi replaced Kimpembe.
Prior to Monday’s deadline, the France manager purposefully selected only 25 players in order to give himself more time to consider before selecting the Borussia Monchengladbach forward.
Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt was given the start this morning after Nkunku’s tragic knee injury on Tuesday.
The Chelsea target, who has scored 12 Bundesliga goals in 15 games for RB Leipzig this season, will miss the tournament due to a damaged knee.
After a five-year exile with the national team was eventually ended in 2021 for the European Championships, this will be Benzema’s first World Cup since 2014.
Prior to the tournament, Benzema had not played for Les Blues since October 2015, when he was essentially banished from the organization due to a scandal involving his former teammate Mathieu Valbuena from Lyon and France.
However, Deschamps has a star-studded attack with Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Olivier Giroud ready to step up if necessary.
The team also includes Kingsley Coman and Ousmane Dembele, who both contributed to France’s victory in Russia in 2018.