Why Real Madrid must rest Karim Benzema for Luka Jovic vs. Osasuna

After a very important win at the Camp Nou, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will face Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish capital. Going by the recent form Los Blancos has been playing in, the upcoming game seems to be pretty easy for Real Madrid.

The latest team news has been released on the official Real Madrid website. Luka Jovic is back with the squad and has trained a full session with the players. Gareth Bale and Isco Alarcon worked individually on the pitch, while Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois, and Federico Valverde trained inside the facilities.

If you guys don’t know, Benzema played El Clasico with pain as he was feeling very uncomfortable following a knock he suffered against Shakhtar Donetsk. As per the player ratings for El Clasico provided by Hridyam Arora, Karim Benzema had a 6.5/10 which is solid but not at all close to the high standards he has set for himself.

As I stated above, Benzema has trained inside the facilities while preparing for Osasuna, it is pretty clear that the Frenchman is not completely fit. For a world-class player like him who is very important to Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti needs to be very cautious with him.

Starting him in continuous games and that too with some problem might make it a bigger one and prove costly to the club. With Osasuna seeming to be an easy game, it makes sense to rest him. But then, who will start?

Luka Jovic needs to step up

This is supposed to be the redemption season for Luka Jovic. The out-of-favour striker did not get many chances under Zinedine Zidane. But with Carlo Ancelotti determined to get the best out of the Serbian, it might be the time for Luka Jovic to show his true abilities.

To be fair, the Italian manager has been very patient with Jovic and has been giving him regular chances (as an impact substitution) to help him grow. And let’s be honest, Jovic has been very determined, too. He knows how much Real Madrid has invested in him and he wants to prove his worth. With him being fully fit against Osasuna, this might be the chance he needs to capitalize on and gain the club’s trust.

Apart from this, what might be the further confidence booster for Luka Jovic is that the last time he faced Osasuna, he scored a fantastic volley. This might be the team he gets his breakthrough against this season.

So, as you can see that playing Luka Jovic in this match is the best thing to do for Carlo Ancelotti and if this pays off, it will be a very huge advantage for the Spanish club in the long run.