Benzema looks to put Messi in Clasico shade

Karim Benzema is finally filling the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo and on Wednesday his task will be to trump Lionel Messi.

It will be the fifth Clasico since Ronaldo departed Real Madrid in 2018 and Spain's most prestigious fixture has not been quite the same without him, a duel lost between the world's two greatest players.

But Benzema's surge means Madrid have rediscovered their punch up front while Barcelona know their opponents now possess a player who may not be able to rival Messi but, like him, could win this match on his own.

"We often talk about Karim these days," said Real coach Zinedine Zidane after Benzema scored against Espanyol this month.

"He's matured and I think that's what makes the difference.

"We all have small defects, things to improve. But what he is asked to do is to chase and he does it, to score goals and he does it. I can't ask anything more of him, only that he continues like this."
- 'I work for Madrid' -
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"I work for Madrid," Benzema said on Sunday after he scored Madrid's 95th-minute equaliser against Valencia. "What is said over there I don't listen to."
"I have a lot of confidence in myself."