Karim Benzema is set to lead the Real Madrid line in Sunday's La Liga clash with Real Valladolid.
The 35-year-old's retirement from France duty means that he has been able to rest during the international break, with his last outing coming against Barcelona on March 19.
Benzema has had a number of fitness problems during the 2022-23 campaign, but he has still been a vital player for Carlo Ancelotti's side, scoring 19 goals and registering five assists in 29 appearances.
The Frenchman can still help Los Blancos win three trophies this season, but they are 12 points off La Liga leaders Barcelona in the table, while the capital outfit trail their Clasico rivals 1-0 ahead of the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final next week.
Real Madrid will be determined to bounce back from their 2-1 loss to Barcelona when they host Real Valladolid, and with that in mind, Sports Mole looks at how Benzema has performed against the White and Violets in the past.
Benzema has faced Real Valladolid on 11 previous occasions in his career, with all of those matches taking place in the top flight of Spanish football.
The Frenchman has won nine and drawn two of his encounters with the White and Violets, while he has scored seven times and provided five assists.
Benzema failed to score on his first appearance against Real Valladolid in 2009, but he netted against them on his next outing during the 2012-13 La Liga campaign.
The Frenchman scored once and provided three assists in his two meetings with Pucela in 2012-13, before also netting against them at Bernabeu in the next campaign.
Benzema has twice scored braces against Real Valladolid, the first of those coming in a 4-1 victory away from home in the second half of the 2018-19 campaign.
The forward also netted twice against Pacheta's side in the reverse match earlier this season, with his two goals helping Real Madrid record a 2-0 victory back in December.
Of Benzema's seven La Liga goals against Real Valladolid, just two of those have come at Bernabeu, with the striker enjoying more success away from home against Sunday's opponents.
Real Madrid are unbeaten at home in the league this season, picking up 28 points from 12 matches, while Real Valladolid have the fourth-worst record on their travels, losing nine of their 13 games, so it would certainly not be a shock to see Benzema on the scoresheet in a home success this weekend.
Read more on Real Madrid vs Real Valladolid
- Click here to read our full preview for Real Madrid vs Real Valladolid
- How Real Madrid could line up against Real Valladolid
body check tags ::
