Real Madrid's Benzema to miss Eibar match with knee problem

Real Madrid will have to face Eibar on Saturday without striker Karim Benzema, but there is hope he can recover from a knee injury in time to face Wolfsburg next week.

Benzema came off after struggling through the first 41 minutes of an eventual 2-0 loss to the Bundesliga club, and manager Zinedine Zidane confirmed that his compatriot hasn't solved the problem in time for the weekend.

"Karim is still feeling pain from the knock on his knee at the moment," Zidane told reporters at a pre-match news conference. "The plan is for him to continue his individual program."

The 28-year-old, along with defender Raphael Varane, will train ahead of the reverse leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie against Wolfsburg on Tuesday. Varane hasn't played since suffering a calf injury on international duty with France last month.

"I hope to have both players ready for Tuesday," said Zidane.

The midweek defeat came as a surprising blow to a side that beat Barcelona just days earlier at the Camp Nou. It brought up fresh concerns about Zidane's future with Los Blancos, but the 1998 World Cup winner understands the next few days will determine the fate of Madrid's season.

"If I get knocked out of a competition, everything could change, that's part of football," said Zidane. "But I don't think about it."

With just seven La Liga matches remaining, Madrid's chances of a first league title since 2012 look slim. Despite winning El Clasico, it is currently seven points behind its Catalan rival.

"Beating Barcelona was great, but it's just three points and I'm not going to go mad just because of what happened against Wolfsburg. The players know what happened and what we have to do now."