Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says they're capable of beating Barcelona without Karim Benzema.

Benzema is an injury doubt for Sunday's El Clasico.

Ancelotti said: “Yes, I believe that we're capable of doing it. Benzema is obviously a very important part of this team and Karim is very good at putting the finishing touch to the team's work. Without Karim in the team, we have to put in the same effort and seek other solutions. I'm not concerned about Karim.

"He's obviously 34 years old and it's now happened to him a couple of times that after having recovered from small knocks he has made all the difference on his return. We've now got a fortnight to work with him and he'll once again make the difference. The fact that he isn't playing tomorrow doesn't concern me because we've got the time to get him ready for the run-in, in which he will make the difference, just as he always does."

On Real Madrid's style this season, Ancelotti continued: “Real Madrid's style has to match the players' characteristics and I think that all teams have to take that approach. If you've got players who are capable of keeping possession, you have to play possession-based football.

"If you've got some very good defenders who are good with the ball at their feet, you have to try and play out from the back, but if you haven't got defenders who are good on the bal, playing long balls is a good option to attack. I don't rule anything out.

"Throughout my career, I've always tried to look for a playing style that the players feel comfortable with and I'm not going to force a player to play in a position where he's not comfortable. For me, football isn't just about one single identity, I like my teams to be able to play in different ways and we're capable of doing that here because we've got a squad with immense quality, both in attack and defence. We've got good energy in the middle of the park and we very often approach games with lots of different options to try and win it."