Benzema dropped for crucial game amid coach feud – source،
Karim Benzema was left out of Al Ittihad's squad for the AFC Champions League match against Uzbekistan side Navbahor on Thursday, due to a difficult relationship with coach Marcelo Gallardo, a source has confirmed at ESPN.
Gallardo does not consider Benzema fit enough for the trip after the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner returned late to his team's training camp in Dubai during the Saudi winter break while stuck in Mauritius at cause of a storm. The player himself feels fit and ready to play, according to the source.
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Al Ittihad's match against Navbahor is the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 match.
Benzema did not take part in his team's return to the Saudi Pro League last week against Al Tai, which Al Ittihad won 3-0. The omission came after an argument between Benzema and Gallardo over the player's participation in a training session.
For AFC Champions League matches, teams can only select five foreign players. For the match against Navbahor, Gallardo decided to include N'Golo Kanté, Fabinho, Ahmed Hegazi, Romarinho and Abderrazak Hamdallah ahead of former French international Benzema.
The former Real Madrid captain, 36, signed for Al Ittihad last summer as a free agent. Despite his success on the pitch – 15 goals in 24 games in all competitions so far – he has been disappointed by the quality of football in the Gulf country.
Benzema considered his options during the January transfer window, sources told ESPN, but Al Ittihad refused to let him return to Europe, instead attempting to loan him to another Saudi club, which Benzema refused.
