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Tottenham vs Real Madrid – Three things to watch in the Champions League

By Alex McVey

MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 17: Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes a save from Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 17, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 17: Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes a save from Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 17, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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How much will injuries affect Real Madrid?

Cardiff , United Kingdom – 8 October 2017; Gareth Bale of Wales during squad training at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Cardiff , United Kingdom – 8 October 2017; Gareth Bale of Wales during squad training at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) /

Real Madrid’s seemingly never-ending injury crisis has not yet, well… ended. Zidane still isn’t anywhere close to his full-strength squad.

Gareth Bale, Dani Carvajal, Keylor Navas, Isco, Raphael Varane, and Mateo Kovacic all missed training ahead of the match against Tottenham. While Bale and Carvajal were struggling hard to return against Tottenham, it looks like both players will ultimately miss out. This means Bale will have missed both of his opportunities to play against Tottenham, his former club. It’s also way too early to expect to see Dani Carvajal or Mateo Kovacic back.

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Keylor Navas was one of Madrid’s best players in the first leg against Tottenham, but Los Blancos will most likely have to call upon Kiko Casilla to play between the sticks. Kiko Casilla is fine, but he’s no  Navas, so this is still a major downgrade at that position.

That’s especially troubling given that Los Blancos will likely be without their best defensive player of the season in Raphael Varane. Varane suffered an injury and had to be replaced for the second half in Madrid’s loss to Girona.

And, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Zidane now has to deal with a possible injury to Isco. Isco limped down the tunnel at the end of Madrid’s match to Girona. While he told the press afterwards that it was just a knock and that he will be ready to play against Spurs, Zidane may still be risking it if he decides to play Isco after his injury scare.

Zidane has his work cut out for him. We’ll see whether he can once again get some effective rotations going, or whether Madrid will sink further into their crisis.

Next: Player Ratings from Real Madrid's 2-1 loss to Girona

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more coverage of Real Madrid’s Champion’s League fixture.

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