Real Madrid announce squad for Shakhtar Donetsk clash, key player returns from injury

Real Madrid announced their squad for the Champions League clash against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, with talisman Karim Benzema returning to the side. The Frenchman has missed the last month with a muscle injury he picked up in the La Liga fixture against Valencia.

Eden Hazar,d who hobbled off during the weekend game against Deportivo Alaves, misses out on the traveling squad. The Belgian has struggled with multiple injuries since joining Chelsea last season.

Here is the complete squad:

Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin, and Altube.

Defenders: E. Militão, R. Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, F. Mendy, and Chust.

Midfielders: Kroos, Modrić, Casemiro, Ødegaard, Isco, and Arribas.

Strikers: Benzema, Asensio, Lucas V., Vinicius Jr., Mariano and Rodrygo

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema returns from injury

Real Madrid will be boosted by the return of striker Karim Benzema for the critical Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian side, who reached the Europa League semi-finals last season, will be a tricky team at home.

Shakhtar achieved 3 goal lead in the reverse fixture at Madrid, only to see the home side claw back 2 goals. However, Shakhtar held on for a famous 3-2 victory in Spain.

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid CF

The Madrid giants have since picked up 7 points, sitting at 2nd in the Group table, three ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk. A win on Tuesday will effectively assure qualification for Zinedine Zidane's side.

Real Madrid slumped to a disappointing loss in the League last Saturday and will look to bounce back in the Champions League. Real Madrid have lost three games in La Liga already this season.

✅ Girona FC (2017)✅ Sevilla FC (2018)✅ @alaveseng (2020)💙📋 @pablomachindiez has now beaten Real Madrid with three different clubs in #LaLigaSantander!#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/9GyVKNlaC5

— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) November 30, 2020

Speaking after the loss, Zidane said:

"I don’t have any explanations, we alternate between good and bad moments. The other day in Milan we played a good match, and today, three days later, we put in a display like that at home. It was our worst start to a match this season. We can’t change the flow of the match. It bothers me, and the players too I think. The problem we have right now is consistency."