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Injuries mount up for Real Madrid coach Benitez

Xinhua, November 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez has seen how injury problems have mounted up ahead of his side's visit to play Eibar on Sunday.

Despite his side's 4-3 win away to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night which helped Madrid fans to partly forget last weekend's 4-0 humiliation at home to FC Barcelona, the fact his side conceded three goals in a disastrous closing spell in the Ukraine means Benitez still needs a win on Sunday to lift the pressure of him.

However, he is going to have to watch his side play for their future with a very much makeshift defense after it was confirmed that central defender Rafael Varane will be out of action for three weeks after tearing a hamstring on Wednesday.

Varene's absence is added to that of Marcelo, who tore a muscle against Barcelona and will be out for a similar length of time, and Sergio Ramos, who needs to rest his shoulder.

Those absences mean Pepe will probably have to partner the adaptable Nacho Fernandez in central defense, while either Dani Carvajal or Danilo will have to play out of position on the left side of the Real Madrid defense.

Meanwhile problems continue to mount up for striker Karim Benzema after Mathieu Valbuena attacked the Madrid striker for his alleged role in an attempted sex-tape blackmail against him.

"I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy ... I respect everyone, but they have tried to play me for a fool and I cannot defense the indefensible," said Valbuena in the Le Monde newspaper over Benzema's role in the case, which will saw the Madrid striker arrested in France at the start of this month. Endite