Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has reportedly been dealt a double blow with not only Marcelo, but also Thibaut Courtois missing training on Friday.
The Belgian shot-stopper had to be replaced at half-time against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with the decision later explained as he was unwell on the day of the game.
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Zidane would undoubtedly have been hoping that his first-choice goalkeeper would have been able to recover heading into the weekend, but as noted by AS, Courtois is said to have missed the last training session on Friday before his side face Granada.
In turn, that would suggest that he won’t be fit enough to feature, opening the door to Alphonse Areola to start in his place.
The report goes on to add that Marcelo was also missing on Friday, and so with a string of other options who can play at left-back already absent due to injury, it’s an untimely blow for Real Madrid, with Zidane now having to come up with a solution to his problem.
Despite their troubled start to the campaign, particularly in Europe, they currently sit top of La Liga after collecting 15 points from their opening seven outings.
However, with a double blow in defence, they’ll be hoping that they can continue to keep things tight at the back as they currently have the joint third best defence in the league.
Losing Courtois though will be a blow despite his critics, and it remains to be seen if the issue is a long-standing one or something that he can recover from over the international break.