Benzema Injury Opens France Door For Giroud
Olivier Giroud has become the beneficiary of Karim Benzema's calf injury, with the AC Milan striker getting a recall to the France national team.
Benzema has been ruled out of Sunday's El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona with a calf injury, and will also not be available for Les Bleus during the upcoming international break.
The world champions are scheduled to play friendly games against Ivory Coast and South Africa.
Benzema is La Liga's top scorer this season with 22 goals from 25 games. He has also provided the most assists with eleven so far.
On Benzema's injury, a statement from France reads: "The Real Madrid striker has completed additional examinations which have confirmed his unavailability for the match against Barcelona and the next international camp which begins on Monday at Clairefontaine."
Giroud has played second fiddle to Benzema ever since the Real Madrid striker returned from international exile prior to last summer's European championship.
In fact, Giroud has not been called up to the France squad since the EURO 2020 tournament, where they were eliminated by Switzerland in the round of 16 stage.
The 35-year-old has helped AC Milan to the top of Serie A this season, scoring 11 goals in 28 appearances across all competitions.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker is France's second top scorer of all-time behind Thierry Henry with 46 goals from 110 caps.
