Zidane rules Benzema out of Bayern friendly

Karim Benzema is looking more and more likely to miss the UEFA Super Cup for Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane ruled the Frenchman out of his side’s friendly against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Zidane revealed that Benzema is yet to join in group training, meaning he will have a very short period of time to prove his fitness ahead of the Super Cup clash with fellow LaLiga outfit Sevilla on August 9.

“Karim will not play against Bayern. He still has not done anything with the team,” Zidane said.

“The idea is that on Saturday he will be incorporated into the group.

“I’m happy with how [pre-season has] gone. We have been able to work very well. I want the team to go further.

“The idea is that against Bayern, those who start the game play more minutes.”

The friendly fixture sees Zidane come up against former mentor Carlo Ancelotti, who recently took over the reins at Bayern.

“I admire him a lot and learned a lot from him,” he said.

“I’m here thanks to him because he changed many things. I greet him with respect.”