(Football news) In Real Madrid's 3-0 win in the UCL opener against Celtic, Karim Benzema had to be taken off in the 30th minute due to a knee discomfort. Real Madrid put out a statement after some tests that the Frenchman had suffered an injury to his semitendinosus tendon and a strain to the quadricep muscle. Some reports claim that Benzema will be out for around 3 weeks which means that he will miss the Madrid derby while some state that he could make it just in time for the Madrid derby. In any case the talisman is going to miss the matches against Mallorca and RB Leipzig. 

Real Madrid are already off to a flying start this season. They started things off with a win in the UEFA Super Cup final after which they won their opening 4 La Liga games and their opening Champions League games. Karim Benzema despite getting 4 goals and an assist hasn't been at his best. Last season, Real Madrid were very dependent on Benzema and he delivered. This season he hasn't had that influence but the good news for Real Madrid is that they have managed to win matches and play well without that influence. 

Real Madrid chose not to sign any back-up for Benzema which was a very bold strategy. Los Blancos sold Luka Jovic but couldn't manage to get rid of Mariano who simply isn't good enough to play for Madrid. Gabriel Jesus was an option but talks didn't progress as Real Madrid didn't have a Non-European spot free. Vinicius Jr has just been granted a Spanish passport which means that Madrid can sign a Non-European player in January or in the summer. Carlo Ancelotti did play Eden Hazard as a false 9 in pre-season but he didn't make any significant appearances until the game against Celtic.

Despite having Rodrygo, Mariano and Marco Asensio on the bench, Ancelotti brought on Eden Hazard to replace the injured Benzema. The Belgian had a very good game as he scored and assisted in the 3-0 win. This was up there with Hazard's best performance in a Real Madrid shirt which was still not up to standard with the Chelsea version of Hazard. Benzema's injury in a way is an incredible opportunity for Hazard and he has to take it with both hands now that he doesn't have metal plates in his ankle to trouble him. 

Carlo Ancelotti after the game said that he didn't expect that kind of performance from Hazard. Now it will be interesting to see if Ancelotti makes the Belgian a guaranteed starter in Benzema's absence or if he chooses to go with others. Hazard's performance at Celtic Park definitely shows that he still has the ability to roll back the years. Los Blancos' next game against Mallorca at the Bernabéu will be a very good opportunity for Hazard to finally make his mark.

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