The two stars suffered injuries in Saturday’s loss to Deportivo Alaves
Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui confirmed Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema suffered injuries in the LaLiga giants’ shock 1-0 loss to Deportivo Alaves.
The pressure on Lopetegui increased after Madrid’s winless run extended to four matches with their defeat on Saturday.
Benzema came off at half-time and Bale was substituted with 10 minutes remaining at the Estadio de Mendizorroza, where Manu Garcia’s late goal saw Alaves claim their win.
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Lopetegui confirmed Bale and Benzema were taken off due to injuries, in what could be further blows for his struggling team.
“Karim and Gareth had injuries, so we had to make decisions regarding changes,” he said.
“That’s football, that’s the way it goes, and today all the negatives came out. We have the international break now, so we can get back to what we’re doing.”
Lopetegui has come under fire due to the team’s recent cold streak, but the former Spain boss says he isn’t concerned about his position.
Sergio Ramos, meanwhile, says Real Madrid would be “crazy” to move on from Lopetegui.
Madrid have failed to score in four straight games for the first time since 1985, and they host Levante after the international break.