Juventus are set for their biggest game of the season when they line up against Real Madrid in Cardiff on Saturday for the UEFA Champions League final.

Madrid have been versatile this season courtesy of a lot of depth in the team. Over 20 players raked in a thousand minutes this term – a rare occurrence in Spain.

The team selection would be a bit of an issue as they would all want an invite to the biggest platform in club football in the world. Coach Zinedine Zidane would surely play the regulars but there are a lot of missing parts to be filled.

Gareth Bale would be hoping for action if he trains with the team as it is his hometown. Many are pushing for Isco to start based on his performance season-wide and current form. Spanish supports want Isco as his work rate matches his skills and ball movement now. Bale’s style fits Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema’s style. His brand is also difficult to defend against.

Zidane would be gunning for the record of being the first coach to lift back to back Champions League titles, and complete a league and European double – a first since 1958. Real have the edge on team depth.

Juve’s defence is a real threat. They can soak up Madrid’s attacks and with Gianluigi Buffon, it is really formidable. Buffon would stand a chance at winning the Ballon d’Or or at least being in the top three after years of world class football. Buffon has been consistent even at his age.

Juve star this season Paulo Dybala would want to pull some magic. Real are eyeing a move this summer and what a perfect stage to sell himself. Real have the edge and support but many people are backing Juve for an upset as well. Saturday is the day.

Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema has revealed that he is still waiting for a call from French national team coach Didier Deschamps.

The striker may be one of the best players for the French national team, but his lack of discipline with national team has led to an omission by current managerDeschamps. Benzema has not played for the national team since October 2015. He was charged with a blackmail conspiracy of one of his teammates. Deschamps took the brave decision of letting Benzema out of the Euro 2016 squad. France were able to reach the final even without the 28-year-old, andDeschamps’ decision has been justified.

As a result, Benzema is facing an uncertain future with regard to the national team. Since making his debut for the national team in 2007, he has featured in 81 games and scored 27 goals. He is far off from the likes of Thierry Henry and Michel Platini.

The former has scored 47 goals in 99 appearances for the national team while the latter has 37 goals in 60 games. Benzema’s struggle for form with Real Madrid has not induced any need for his inclusion into the national team.The 28-year-old has scored 17 goals in 39 appearances for Madrid this season. Benzema is the top scorer for Madrid in the Champions League this season with five goals.

"I haven't had a call [from national team].As I said, I continue my work in Madrid, especially as the end of the season is exciting, with big matches coming up.It's up to me to put in some great performances with my club. It's [win over Bayern Munich] a good result, but we mustn't get carried away. I think we could have score more goals. We wanted to get one or two more goals, but we have to settle for the result, because it's difficult to win against this team," said Benzema after the Champions League game against Bayern Munich.

Karim Benzema has been criticized for the defeat that saw Sevilla ends Real Madrid run of 40 matches.

The French striker was guilty of a careless pass that surrendered possession to the opposing side and saw them scored the winning goal in the closing stage of the game.

Benzema enjoyed a poor game throughout the whole match and with Zinedine Zidane fielding an unusual formation, the player did not provide the assistance that Ronaldo was looking for upfront. Indeed, the French manager opted for a rare 3-5-2 formation which saw the team become stronger defensively but sacrificing its creativity.

Ronaldo was looking towards Karim Benzema for help, but unfortunately, it did not come as the French striker seems to be lost in his role in this new formation.

For most of the match, Karim Benzema appeared as a lost player as he struggled to find his place in the team. Sometimes he was in a deeper role playing as a midfielder in an attempt to touch the ball and other times he was found on the wings but in both cases he struggled to make a clear impact in the game.

However, this did not prevent Real Madrid from taking the lead in the game thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty at the end of the first half. But they will be guilty of not finishing the game off and will allow Sevilla to grow in confidence as the game goes by. Benzema will be the culprit where he will miss a clear opportunity to double his team lead, but instead, he will shoot directly at the keeper.

Sevilla will manage to take advantage of the tiring legs of the Real Madrid players and scored two goals in quick succession that will allow them to get a deserved result in the game.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has returned to training ahead of the meeting with Atletico Madrid on Saturday, according to reports in Spain.

Sergio Ramos is expected to feature in the derby but fellow defender Pepe is expected to miss out.
Coach Zinedine Zidane would be happy with the news of Benzema’s return as reports filtered in that Alvaro Morata picked up a hamstring injury whilst on duty with Spain during the international break. Early reports say he could be sidelined for up to four weeks. Zidane would not be happy with such news, as the Spaniard is needed to contribute to the team.

Benzema suffered a slight muscle problem recently, but he was on ground as the team trained on Thursday. Casemiro trained alongside Pepe, away from the rest of the team, and he is not expected to feature against the 2014 La Liga champions. Casemiro broke his shinbone, and it would take a while before he resumes regular action.

Real Madrid would still have most of their stars available for the weekend game after the club confirmed via a statement that Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez, Raphael Varane, James Rodriguez all safely returned to the Madrid after the international break. Keylor Navas is being awaited, and it seems the goalkeeper would have just one training session with the rest of the team before the match.

“Real Madrid completed the fourth session of the week and continued their preparations for the Madrid derby, which will take place on Saturday at the Vincente Calderon. Benzema joined the group for a session in which Zidane had more international players at his disposal,” the club said in a statement.

“[Toni] Kroos and Morata continue with their recovery processes, while Casemiro and Pepe trained out on the pitch away from the rest of their teammates,” the statement added.

ZinedineZidane is still contemplating on trying Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata in attack after Real Madrid squandered numerous opportunities during a 2-2 draw against Las Palmas.

Alvaro Morata started the match while Karim Benzema came from the bench to score Real Madrid's second goal against the Islanders, but the coach was left to rue earlier misses when Las Palmas substitute, Sergio Araujo levelled the match in the 86th minute.

Real Madrid star players, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, failed to score despite having enough opportunities and Zidane said he would analyze the causes of the team's wastefulness in front of goalposts.

"From the kick-off to the final whistle what we did was good. We played good football and created many chances," said the Frenchman. "We created chances, but lacked concentration. We controlled the game, but didn't convert our chances. We deserved to win. You must be 100 per cent focused until the end. I will return and analyze why we couldn't score. Karim and Morata can play together."

Former Real Madrid player now their coach, Zidane substituted Ronaldo off after 72 minutes, a sub which was brought into question after Madrid spent the final minutes of the match finding the winning goal without the talismanic Portuguese.

But Zidane made known that the substitution was made in consideration of their 1-1 draw in the Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.

"I called out Cristiano because we play again on Tuesday. He always wants to play. Sometimes this happens in football. We just needed to convert the many chances we created." He said.
"We deserved to win. We won't give up. There were two crucial errors that cost us the win. We are obviously disappointed with the result, but we must keep striking hard to maintain our form in the league"

Former Brazil international Rivaldo opines that Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is still the best French player, despite not featuring for France in their attempt to win the Euro 2016 on home soil this year.

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Greizmann has made tremendous improvement in the last two-three seasons. He is tipped to be the future of French football, and he showed this as he was clearly the star man for the team at the Euro 2016 tournament, after an impressive showing in the Spanish La Liga and Champions League.

“Antonie Griezmann has obviously has a great season for both club and country. However, I would say that Karim Benzema is still the No 1 French footballer. Benzema has shown by his consistency at the highest level that he is one of the best strikers in the world,” Rivaldo told L’Equipe.

Rivaldo claimed the pressure the Madrid man faces at the club is huge and he is impressed by the way he has handled it over the years. He said the French team felt his absence despite reaching the finals of the tournament. France lost 1-0 in the extra time to Portugal in a keenly-contested game. Rivaldo added that “the final could have turned out happier for them,” had Benzema be allowed to play despite a prevailing scandal.

Benzema would have competition when he returns to Real Madrid for the season as the club refused to sell Alvaro Morata after getting him from Juventus by activating their buy-back clause.

Since joining the Santiago Bernabeu from French outfit Lyon in 2009, Benzema has been the point-man for Madrid – contesting with Gonzalo Higuain at some point. He partnered with others through the years but he remained the lead. He is one of the most influential players and his record shows 162 goals in 317 games. In the past two seasons, he has partnered well with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. The return of prodigal son Morata will definitely bring competition upfront.

Some players are brilliant on the field, but there might be issues that prevent them from being part of the big league game.

Karim Benzema is one such name that has been involved in certain controversies, but his country has definitely felt his absence from the Euro 2016. After the French Football Federation did not include his name in the French team for the tournament, many have been wondering whether his presence would have made sure that the country lifted the trophy if he had been part of the final team. Being charged with alleged blackmail of a compatriot over a sex tape had him banned from playing the tournament this year.

The national team definitely needed some more expertise which would have helped them prevent the Portugal team from lifting the trophy. However, the pending proceedings in the court case came at a time that prevented this player from clearing his name and getting back on the national squad in time for the tournament.

This player has a reputation, being a player from Real Madrid who would have been the missing link to seal the victory that the country was so close to getting on home ground. Juventus is looking at including this player in their squad this year. There are replacements being looked at for Alvaro Morata and Benzema is one of the possibilities, though Alexis from Barcelona is the first consideration. Madrid and Juve have had a good relationship going on for some time. For that reason Benzema might be on for the transfer. It would definitely help to make things look up for the player who was unable to play for France. Fans are definitely looking forward to seeing him play again this season. It would definitely help to move things along and help him to get over the stigma that is currently plaguing his career.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has stated that it is more difficult to defend against Karim Benzema than against Luis Suarez.

The former Manchester United had faced Benzema when he was playing for Real Madrid in the Champions League and had played against Suarez when he was at Liverpool.

He said that Karim Benzema is a different player and has good movement off the ball. He is quick with both the left and right foot making it difficult to anticipate his movement. He said that it was harder to play against Benzema than Suarez because he is so swift with his movement.

According to Rio Ferdinand, Benzema can take you out of position quickly and free up space for his teammate. He said that his movement is so good that you only discover that you have been drawn out of position at the last minute.

This season Suarez has been more proficient in front of goals than Benzema in the Liga. He has managed to score 59 goals in 53 appearances while the Frenchman has managed 28 goals in 36 appearances for Real Madrid.

There is news that Karim Benzema might be moving to Manchester United in the summer. The Red Devils who have a new manager in Jose Mourinho will be looking for players that will improve their attacking options. But it is difficult to believe that Zidane will be allowing a player of his caliber to leave in the summer.

There is also news that Rio Ferdinand might be given a coaching role at Manchester United. Jose Mourinho has been keen to build his backroom staff and has considered the former Manchester United defender as a potential coach. The Portuguese manager apparently does not want to distort the United culture and is keen to keep as many former players as possible in the coaching staff.

The French centre forward is the latest Real Madrid star that is doubtful for the clash against Manchester City in the crucial semi final game on Tuesday.

The 28-year old striker limped out of their 3-2 win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend in a key La Liga game. This leaves the head coach, Zinedine Zidane, with less options as the Spanish giant hope to clinch their 11th European title.

Real Madrid have not had the best of preparations in the run-up to the game, as the club hopes to win their first title under Zinedine Zidane. The La Liga seems a very close competition especially as defending champions, Barcelona, picked up form again after a temporary slip. Atletico Madrid are also not slacking.

Real Madrid coach on Benzema said:
“We’ll evaluate [Benzema], but he didn’t take a blow.

“I thought he did, but for now we’ll go back to Valdebebas and see what he has. I hope it’s nothing and that he can play on Tuesday, but we don’t know yet."

Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo is back in training after his injury scare and coach od City, Manuel Pellegrini, is expecting the player to feature against his side on Tuesday. He said:
"He's a big player who makes the difference for Real Madrid, so it's very important to stop him.
Gareth Bale on the other hand who is keen on his return to England said:

"The most important thing is to try and get an away goal, and then keep a clean sheet," he said.
"Those are the two important things for us for being in the game because at the Bernabeu we're very strong at home and we fancy our chances.

"For us it's always a psychological advantage [to play at home]. We need to get a positive result at the Etihad and then being in front of our home fans at the Bernabeu knowing exactly what we need to do is alway a great help for us."

The French national team manager, Didier Deschamps has evaded questions about Karim Benzema.

Many people believed that with the quality of players in the attacking department for France, Benzema is not required in the France team.

When asked about Karim Benzema’s importance for the team, Didier Deschamps evaded the questions and told the media that they need to focus on players that are currently present in the group and not those who are absent.

Indeed, with players such as Olivier Giroud, Dimitri Payet, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Kingsley Coman, Antoine Griezmann and Anthony Martial available for France, the absence of Karim Benzema is not really felt in the national team.

The Real Madrid man is currently suspended from the national team amidst of accusations of conspiracy. He is being investigated as part of an alleged attempt to blackmail his teammate Valbuena.

His case will be heard on April 15th, and then a decision will be made on whether Karim Benzema should return to the French national side or not.

Karim Benzema is currently preparing himself for the Clasico game against Barcelona this weekend. He seems to be in good form with a video release of him scoring a spectacular goal on Real Madrid’s training ground.

His first game for the French national team came in 2007when he participated in a match against Austria where he scored the only goal of the game. He will then go on to make more than 80 appearances for France and scored 27 goals along the way.

He was part of the team that participated at Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and 2014 World Cup.
Karim Benzema will definitely await his case hearing with impatience to find out whether he will represent his country again and add to this tally of 80 appearances for Les Bleus.