Media reports have confirmed the absence of veteran French striker Karim Benzema, an Al-Hilal player, from Friday's match against Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Professional League.
According to the "Asharq Al-Awsat" newspaper, Benzema's absence is due to lower back pain. He subsequently underwent a medical examination at the clinic and did not participate in team training sessions over the past two days.
Al-Hilal's management had previously offered Benzema the choice of either participating in the Asian tournament or terminating his contract with a financial settlement. However, the French veteran did not welcome this offer, making his departure unlikely.
Benzema has played 16 matches for Al-Hilal, scoring 10 goals and providing 5 assists. Prior to that, he played 83 matches for Al-Ittihad, where he scored 54 goals and made 17 assists, according to the global website "Transfermarkt".
In related news, Al-Hilal defender Hassan Tambakti participated in the first part of his team's training session held on Thursday, before completing his rehabilitation program in preparation for rejoining team drills.
Tambakti is expected to be fully fit within the next few days and available for Italian head coach Simone Inzaghi to feature in his team's upcoming match against Al-Ahli Jeddah.
Meanwhile, French player Simon Bouobri continued his rehabilitation program at the medical clinic, in addition to performing several fitness drills on the pitch, following a thigh muscle injury.
