El Clasico: Benzema ruled out with calf injury; Real Madrid fans heartbroken

In a huge setback for Real Madrid, star striker Karim Benzema has been ruled out of Sunday's El Clasico against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu after suffering a calf injury. The Frenchman missed out the La Liga leaders' Saturday training session and is likely to focus on getting fir for next month's crucial Champions League quarter-final clash against Chelsea.

The 34-year-old suffered an injury in his left calf, which forced him to be substituted after grabbing an assist and two late goals during their 3-0 win at Mallorca on Monday.

Also read: Champions League, Quarter-Final Draw: Chelsea vs Real Madrid, Man City vs Atletico the headliners

Meanwhile, Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy would also miss the next two weeks with a hamstring injury but forward Rodrygo, who suffered an injury against Mallorca, was in Saturday's training session and should be available for Sunday's El Clasico.

This year, Benzema is the top goalscorer in the league and boasts of an impressive record of 22 goals and 11 assists in 25 appearances. Madrid host arch-rivals Barcelona on Sunday, aiming to extend their 10 point lead over second-placed Sevilla in the league and their 15-point advantage over the Blaugrana in third. With 11 matches to play, Real Madrid is on a high and have a La Liga-European Cup double in their sights.

It's likely that Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will turn to Luka Jovic or Mariano as a replacement for the injured Benzema. Following this news, Real Madrid and Karim Benzema fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment over the star striker missing out on Sunday's El Clasico, while Barca fans shared their joy. 

It is worth noting Benzema scored a superb second-half hat-trick in the 2nd leg of the last-16 draw as Real Madrid produced a stirring fightback at a raucous Bernabeu to reach the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of PSG. Here's a look at some of the reactions: