Karim Benzema: Real Madrid's match winner nears his return

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Karim Benzema: Real Madrid's match winner nears his return - The France striker has endured rotten luck with injuries during the current campaign but paradoxically boasts some of the best numbers of his career, scoring goals at key times.

While Didier Deschamps labours on without his star man in France, Zinedine Zidane will be more than happy to welcome Karim Benzema back into the Real Madrid fold. Sunday's clash against Sevilla may come too soon for the forward but the news that he has resumed normal training just two weeks after injuring himself against Atletico Madrid is welcome.

Benzema now has every chance of making the April 2 Clasico in the Camp Nou bearpit, strengthening Zidane's hand as he prepares for his first experience of the derby as a coach.

The current season has been a rollercoaster for Benzema, both on and off the field. Legal proceedings around the infamous 'Valbuena case' continue and the striker has endured rotten luck with his fitness, suffering from three different problems successively. The silver lining is he has made nearly every one of his 25 appearances count.

With 19 goals in La Liga this term, Benzema has already surpassed his goal totals in his previous three seasons in the Spanish top flight. In all competitions, having struck 23 times overall, he is just four goals off his second-best season at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real's inconsistency as a team under Rafael Benitez and now Zidane lends to his performances an even greater gloss.

Benzema has also scored goals at key times. He may not have been involved in as many goals as Cristiano Ronaldo (who has scored and created a combined 53) and nor does he boast the team's best strike rate (Gareth Bale has scored a goal every 57 minutes). But when Benzema hits the net, he makes it count. His 23 goals have secured 10 points for Madrid - a team-leading 0.43 points per goal.

With the Clasico imminent and the Champions League quarter-finals looming on the horizon, Benzema's continued availability will be vital in defining what has thus far been a miserable season.

The only dilemma now will be deciding who gives up his place in the squad, as Zidane has pledged to field the 'BBC' at every opportunity. Players like Lucas Vazquez and Casemiro, however, are making their own strong cases for inclusion. "A most welcome problem," as the coach would say.