Real Madrid have suffered a huge injury blow ahead of the Champions League semi-final decider against Chelsea.
Key defender Raphael Varane is ruled out of the second leg at Stamford Bridge, joining right-back Dani Carvajal on the sidelines as the La Liga giants look to reach yet another final.
The Frenchman had to be replaced at half-time of Real Madrid's 2-0 La Liga win over Osasuna on Saturday night, thus sparking concerns over his availability for the Chelsea clash.
Initially, it appeared that Los Blancos had avoided another injury scare as Zinedine Zidane revealed that Varane told him that the injury wasn't too serious.
"We hope Rafa’s [Varane] injury isn’t too serious, but right now I can’t tell you anything," Zidane told reporters. "I spoke to him and he told me it wasn’t too serious and I hope that’s the way it is.
"We’re just thinking about what we did today. We have to enjoy today’s win and then we’ll move our focus to Wednesday.
"Let's just focus on today’s game. We’re pleased to get the three points. I’m pleased for my players and with the effort they’ve made.
"It’s true that we’ve been through a lot, but that’s that. We’re in the mix, with our struggles and tonight’s were another three points. We’re in the hunt with four games to go.
"We’re going to fight until the end and we’re in with a chance. I’m not saying we’re going to win it, but we’ll be giving our all."
However, Varane underwent a scan on Sunday and it revealed an abductor injury that is expected to keep him out for around ten days - thus meaning he will play no part against the Blues.
"After the tests carried out today on our player Raphael Varane by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he was diagnosed with an injury to the right abductor muscles," a statement reads.
When fit, Varane is often one of the first names on Zidane's team sheet and his absence creates a big void to fill.
Eder Militao and Nacho could be the central defensive partnership if the Real Madrid boss abandons the 3-5-2 formation he used in the first-leg and reverts back to a 4-3-3 system.
With that said, judging by what Zidane said about captain Sergio Ramos last week, it would appear that the Real Madrid captain is set to make his return from injury against Chelsea.
"He [Ramos] is training with us and that means he's able to play too," Zidane said, as quoted by the Mail. "We'll see what we do when we name the squad, but Sergio is fit and ready to play."
Ramos has missed the last 10 games across all competitions, but has been back in training for over 10 days and could now return to action in a vital fixture.
