Karim Benzema left out of Real Madrid's clash with Sevilla

Real Madrid head coach Rafa Benitez has confirmed that striker Karim Benzema will not be in the squad to face Sevilla on Sunday.

Benzema was put under former judicial investigation after being questioned by French police this week in connection with an alleged attempt to blackmail Lyon forward Mathieu Valbuena over a sex video.

The 27-year-old's lawyer has insisted Benzema is innocent and he was subsequently freed pending further investigations, before returning to training on Thursday.

Real Madrid gave their public backing for the player on Friday but boss Benitez has said the striker has not yet fully recovered from a hamstring injury, which has kept him out for the last five games.

He said: "Benzema is in the final part of his recovery. We decided to let him get him back to 100 per cent, work with the team and be in condition for what comes later.

"He is okay. There has been a statement from the club to which we all adhere, and there is little more to say on a personal level.

"I will not talk much about Karim. He trained, did his job and since there is a personal matter. My full support is for him and we wait for him to recover and give us many joys on the field.

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"We cannot speculate and what we know today is that it lacks a bit of time to come. We have two weeks off, we prefer not to risk and not convene it.

"All we deal with Karim is what we know. All his team-mates and the club are with him, to support him and just wait for the events, which will be the sensible thing to develop."