Karim Benzema has been left out of Al Ittihad's squad for their AFC Champions League game with Uzbekistani outfit Navbahor on Thursday amid a difficult relationship with his coach Marcelo Gallardo, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Gallardo doesn't consider Benzema fit enough for the trip after the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner returned late to his team's Dubai training camp during the Saudi winter break as he was stuck in Mauritius because of a storm. The player himself feels fit and ready to play, according to the source.