Madrid's poor run before World Cup

Real Madrid are living a crisis that was evident at the Bernabeu against Girona and away to Rayo Vallecano. Moreover, there are less than two weeks to go until the World Cup.
Ancelotti's side have only won one time against Celtic in the last three matches and they have dropped five points in La Liga.
The players are aware of the World Cup and they preferred not to force themselves. This is Karim Benzema's situation, as he has not been available for the last three meetings due to muscle fatigue. He will not be available for Thursday's clash against Cadiz either.
Antonio Rudiger is still recovering from a hip injury and Aurelien Tchouameni trained with his teammates after a few days on the sidelines. Otherwise, Rodrygo, Vinicius and Militao found out two hours before the defeat that Tite had called them up for Brazil.
"This has nothing to do with the World Cup. We've played a lot of encounters and we are not fresh as before," Ancelotti said.