Real Madrid: Marco Asensio out for today’s match as Raphael Varane returns

Real Madrid will have some juggling to do with the lineup for today’s Champions League group stage match against Cypriot side, APOEL as Marco Asensio will miss the match with a bizarre injury, but center back Rafa Varane returns for his first match since the league opener.

Never in my life have I seen an athlete in any sport miss a game or match because of an infected pimple or boil. That changed today with the news that Marco Asensio will not be on the bench for Los Blancos tonight as he has a fever due to an infection on his leg.

Of course, the footballing world is having a big laugh with this obscure injury and I have to agree with everyone. It’s pretty funny and pretty weird.

While I don’t think Marco would’ve started today, he would have been a great option off the bench had the match been close in the second half.

Thankfully for Real Madrid, they will be able to use Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time in a competitive match today since his red card in the Spanish Super Cup back in mid-August.

In other good news, center back Raphael Varane is back in the squad after missing several matches with a leg problem of his own. The French defender has been training exclusively at the Real Madrid facilities at the Valdebebas and missed World Cup qualifying for France due to the injury.

Chances are good that Nacho will start over Varane today and give the 24-year-old a little more time to get back to 100% physically, but could be a good option off the bench if needed.

Kickoff is in just about three hours away from the Santiago Bernabéu! We will have the entire match live tweeted from our Twitter account which you can find here. Be sure to also check out The Real Champs Facebook page where we will have more news and analysis during the match!

Next: Champions League preview: Real Madrid set their sights on the Decimotercero

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