Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui has got enough to be concerned with currently, but he could be set for another injury blow.
The Spanish giants have gone winless in their last three games in all competitions, losing to Sevilla and CSKA Moscow while being held by rivals Atletico Madrid at the weekend.
SEE MORE: Video: Horror blunder from Toni Kroos gifts CSKA lead against Real Madrid
That in turn has seen the pressure on Lopetegui increase, and he hasn’t been helped by the injury setbacks suffered by Gareth Bale and Isco.
While he will hope that the pair can step up their recovery this week and over the international break, it remains to be seen when they return to action.
Before that can be ascertained though, AS report Dani Carvajal has now picked up an injury issue of his own and that he has been ruled out against Alaves this weekend due to his calf problem.
Further, the report goes on to suggest that depending on the severity of the injury, he could be ruled out for anything between two and five weeks, thus putting his participation in ‘El Clasico’ in doubt when Real Madrid travel to the Nou Camp to face Barcelona on October 28.
It’s not ideal for Lopetegui to be dealing with these key absences, especially in the more immediate future when he’s trying to break his side out of their current rut.
Naturally, he’ll hope for more positive news over the international break to see if the issue isn’t as bad as first feared, but time will now tell if Carvajal can feature against Barca with his experience and defensively solidity undoubtedly set to be crucial in the crunch clash.