Cristiano Ronaldo exit helped me become better player, Karim Benzema claims

“But at that time, I did know that I could do more and when he left, it was the time to change my game, change my ambitions and I am doing that well at the moment.”

Benzema’s immediate focus, however, is the task of securing the first of six trophies Real could win this season when they face Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium.

Asked about the possibility of a clean sweep, coach Ancelotti said: “What’s possible is battling and we will certainly give it a good go. I don’t know if we will win them – of course, that will be very tough.”

If Real, who beat Liverpool in last season’s Champions League final, head into the game with great expectations, opponents Eintracht, conquerors of Rangers in the Europa League, do so in some disarray after a humbling 6-1 Bundesliga defeat by Bayern Munich on Friday evening and with star man Filip Kostic heading for Juventus.

However, coach Oliver Glasner insisted they are not “scared” of their illustrious opponents.

Glasner said: “We want to play against this team, we want to show our best football. We will give our best on the pitch, that’s our approach.

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“We’re not really scared, we have a lot of joy. We are really looking forward to it. We showed already last year on the European stage that there’s always a chance, and we want to take that chance.”

The game is the first competitive meeting between the clubs since the 1960 European Cup final, in which Ferenc Puskas scored four times and Alfredo Di Stefano three in a 7-3 victory for the Spaniards at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

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