Benzema: "I'm the third captain and I have to show a lot of things"

Karim Benzema has given an interview to betting company Codere, in which he spoke about the upcoming Champions League campaign, the Roma game and life under Julen Lopetegui.

Real Madrid are chasing an unprecedented fourth consecutive Champions League title this season. And two days ahead of their opening fixture against AS Roma, Karim Benzema has acknowledged in an interview with Coder that the club will need some of the luck they had last year to go all the way in a difficult competition.

"This competition is on another level. Every match is important, none are easy, and that’s one of the things that I like. Real Madrid are the best club in the world. Every year you have to be successful. I hope we’re lucky like last season in this Champions League because it’s very important to us,” said the Frenchman.

Following his departure to Juventus in July, Madrid will face their first Champions League campaign without Cristiano Ronaldo since the Portuguese joined the club in 2009. But despite the loss of the club’s record goal scorer, who averaged 50 goals a season, Benzema thinks Madrid are still favourites to lift European club football’s biggest prize.

“We know there are a lot of strong teams, but if I have to say who I think are one of the favourites, it's always going to be Real Madrid, at this club the goal is always to try to win everything and play well, we have to give up a lot in order to be focused on winning,” he said.

No complacency against Roma

Madrid’s first Champions League test comes against Roma, who reached the semi-finals of the competition last season, only to be beaten by Liverpool 6-7 on aggregate over two thrilling encounters at Anfield and the the Estadio Olímpico.

Roma have not had the greatest starts to their Serie A season and currently lie in ninth place, having won just one game from four. But Benzema and Co. know there will be no room for complacency against last year’s semi-finalists, who, in Rossi, Dzeko and Kolarov, have three players that know what it takes to score at the Bernabeu (Rossi did so in a Roma shirt in 2005-05; Dzeko and Kolarov, with Manchester City). 

"As always, the first game at home is very important. We have to have the ball and control the pace of the game. Roma are a good team with very good players,” said Benzema on Wednesday night’s opponents.

"Every game brings its own motivation, and I’m always thinking about scoring goals, giving assists and helping the team win. This year I’m the third captain and I have to show a lot of things.”

New lease of life under Lopetegui

With the exit of Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, Benzema has been enjoying a new lease of life under Julen Lopetegui. The new coach has started him in all of Madrid’s five competitive fixtures so far this season, and the Frenchman has shown his gratitude by scoring five goals, averaging a goal a game.

Understandably then, he is happy with life under Lopetegui, for whom he wants to continue to work hard and keep scoring goals.

"It's good because he's a coach who likes football, possession and that we play well with good pressure after losing the ball. That’s really good for us,” he told Codere.

“I’ll never forget my first day here because it was the first at the club of my dreams. Talent is very important, but the most important thing is hard work. Then you can do a lot with talent, but you have to work hard to reach the highest level.”