The Frenchman Karim Benzema, captain and forward of Al-Ittihad Club's first football team, participated in the group training held this Saturday evening, as part of the team's preparations to face Al-Najma in the league championship.

Despite Benzema's participation in training, his position on playing the match has not yet been decided. The newspaper "Al-Riyadiyah" mentioned that the most likely direction is that he will not be included in the match squad, similar to what happened in the previous game against Al-Fateh, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

In the absence of Benzema, Talal Haji is considered the most prominent name to lead the Tigers' attack, especially with the Dutchman Steven Berghuis missing training due to injury, along with the continued absence of striker Saleh Al-Shehri for the same reason.

The newspaper attributed Benzema's reluctance to participate in Al-Ittihad matches to the anger he felt following a meeting with Nigerian Michael Emenalo, the sporting director of the Professional League Association, to discuss the renewal of his contract, which has affected his stance during the current period.