It’s never nice to see a side suffering with injuries, but a lot is on the line when Tottenham host Real Madrid at Wembley on Wednesday night.
The two clubs are locked level at the top of Group H heading into match-day four of the Champions League this week, both with seven points and an identical goal difference.
In turn, this showdown could be crucial in determining who will finish top of the pile, and Zinedine Zidane has his injury problems as his side look to bounce back from their disappointing loss to Girona at the weekend.
As noted by Guillem Balague in the tweet below, neither Keylor Navas nor Gareth Bale will feature at Wembley, as both have been struggling with injury problems in recent weeks.
Navas/Bale won't be going to Wembley. Benzema 2 goals after 23 shoota. Mbappe decided not to go to Madrid -he thought he wouldn't play much
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) October 30, 2017
While that’s bad enough in terms of being without two key players, Goal report that the absentee list could be a lot worse by kick-off as there are doubts over other pivotal individuals.
It’s claimed that Real have concerns over the fitness of Isco and Raphael Varane too as they prepare to travel for London, while Dani Carvajal and Mateo Kovacic are already sidelined as long-term absentees.
Varane was replaced during that loss to Girona at half-time while it’s noted that Isco sustained a knock late on with the pair not joining the rest of the group for training on Monday which raises real doubts over their availability this week.
For the neutral it’s a real shame as this encounter would have been thoroughly entertaining with both sides at full strength. In contrast, from a Tottenham perspective, they will be delighted to have a potential edge heading into the contest as they’ll look to exploit Real’s injury woes and claim the all-important three points to take a big step towards finishing in top spot.