Real Madrid will need to be strong when they go to London next week to make the Champions League final in Istanbul, note Marca. Karim Benzema will once again be absolutely key to their chances, but the question currently unanswered is whether the Frenchman’s ability in front of goal alone will be enough to see off Chelsea.
Benzema’s goal at Valdebebas last night saved Madrid from defeat, earning a 1-1 draw. Their reliance on him is unusual compared to other leading European clubs including Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Juventus. When analysing each of their top five scorers, the distance between the top scorer and the next four is more pronounced at Madrid.
Benzema has 28 goals this season. Vinicius, Marco Asensio and Casemiro all have six, while Luka Modric has four, coming to 22 in total. At their great rivals Barcelona, Lionel Messi has 33, but the next four have 42. Antoine Griezmann has 18, Ousmane Dembele has ten, while Frenkie de Jong and Martin Braithwaite both have seven.
Atletico, to go with Luis Suarez’s 18, have 35, divided up between Marcos Llorente, who has 12, Joao Felix, who has ten, Angel Correa, who has seven, and Yannick Carrasco, who has six. City’s next four contribute 33, PSG’s contribute 49, and their semi-final opponents Chelsea’s contribute 37. Madrid’s reliance on Benzema is unmatched.
