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Karim Benzema has spoken highly of Vinicius Jr after the Real Madrid starlet scored a brace against Liverpool. The Brazilian's goals helped Los Blancos win 3-1 against the Premier League champions. It allows Real Madrid to take a healthy lead to Anfield next week for the second leg.
Last year, Karim Benzema was caught advising Ferland Mendy to avoid passing to Vinicius Jr. The Frenchman was not happy with the Brazilian and claimed he was 'playing against them' in the Champions league match against Borussia Monchengladbach.
However, the Real Madrid striker's stance has changed now, and he believes in the young winger. Karim Benzema told La Liga TV.
"Vini is a very young player, but I believe in him because he has everything to succeed here. This is why I talk a lot with him on the pitch, sometimes it's a little loud, but that is because of him. He can give more, because when he wants to be, he is a phenomenon."
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema talks ahead of El Clasico
Real Madrid take on Barcelona on Saturday in the much-awaited El Clasico. The two sides are looking to move closer to the summit of the league standings with a win. With Atletico Madrid playing on Sunday night it will at least take the winners to the top momentarily.
Speaking to La Liga TV ahead of the Clasico, Karim Benzema said:
"The Clasico for me is the best game in the world. Not only for me, but for everyone, because there are two teams that have a lot of history. It's always a very important match."
When asked about his season so far, the Frenchman replied:
"I don't know if this has been my best season. Every year I start from scratch and I want to improve on the previous one. Now I'm on a scoring streak and if I can continue, with work to help my team win points and games, I'm going to do it. The important thing is to win."
Real Madrid are currently 3 points behind Atletico Madrid and know that a loss on Saturday would hurt their chances of winning the league. Barcelona are just a point below Atletico Madrid and will be keen to end Los Blancos' hopes and make it a 2-horse race for the title in the final stretch.
