Squad prepare for Bernabéu Trophy without Karim Benzema
Questions marks are again hanging over the Frenchman's physical condition with less than a week left before Real Madrid's La Liga opener
Real Madrid returned to training on Monday after a weekend’s rest with a session at the club’s Valdebebas base in preparation for the Bernabéu Trophy game against Stade de Reims on Tuesday night.
Most notable by his absence was Karim Benzema, who had reappeared in the UEFA Super Cup final last week after an injury had kept him out of Real Madrid’s preseason games. However, the striker was unable to train with rest of the team and was confined to work in the gym.
Cristiano Ronaldo continues recovery
Cristiano Ronaldo, along with his Portuguese teammates Fabio Coentrao and Pepe, also trained away from the others as he continues his comeback from the knee injury he sustained in the Euro 2016 final last month.
The rest of Real Madrid’s first team, however, all trained under the watchful eye of Zinedine Zindane, including Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale, who will both play their first minutes in preseason on Tuesday evening.
With Los Blancos set to get their La Liga campaign underway on Sunday away at Real Sociedad (20:15 CET), Cristiano Ronaldo remains the only regular starter to be 100% ruled out of the season opener, though question marks continue to surround the fitness of Benzema.