Bale, Benzema to miss Spanish Supercup

Real Madrid duo Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema will miss this week's Spanish Supercup due to a mixture of illness and injury, the club confirmed on Monday.

The Real Madrid official website confirmed that Benzema "has been diagnosed with a contusion in the semimembranosus muscle of his left hamstring," adding that "his recovery will be monitored."

Bale meanwhile has "been diagnosed with an infection in the upper respiratory tract," and will also miss the tournament, which will be played in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah between January 8 and 12.

Benzema is Real Madrid's top scorer so far this season with 16 goals in 24 games in all competitions, while Bale's injury, coupled with the continued absence of Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio means that the Brazilian duo of Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo could well start in the first semi-final which sees Madrid face Copa del Rey holders Valencia on January 8.

However, it seems the Spanish Football Federation's plan of holding the Supercup in Saudi Arabia has not been well received by the supporters of Real Madrid, Valencia, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who have so far bought just over 1,000 of the 12,000 tickets allotted for the clubs, although Spain's El Mundo newspaper reports healthy sales among Saudi football fans.