Real Madrid's victory against APOEL might have come with a high bill to pay, as Zinedine Zidane will have to make do without one of his most in-form players.
During the first half of the game, Mateo Kovacic walked out of the pitch in tears with a problem in his right leg. Today, Real Madrid's medical services confirmed that the Croatian midfielder suffered a partial tear in his right adductor, which will keep him out of the pitch for the next two months.
Kovacic was quickly becoming one of Zidane's most trusted players, constantly using him as a replacement for Kroos and Luka Modric.
With this injury, Zidane will be forced to give more playing time to two of his most recent signings who don't possess the same amount of experience as Kovacic: Dani Ceballos and Marcos Llorente. Ceballos played his first minutes with Los Blancos against APOEL, and his involvement will have to escalate following this setback.
Marcelo gets two-match ban reduced
The game against Levante saw Real Madrid's co-captain Marcelo leaving the pitch before the final whistle due to a red card. Today, the Spanish Federation decided to reduce the original two-match ban handed to the Braziilian, making him unavailable for the game against Real Sociedad on Sunday.
After the successful appeal, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo will return at the same time, when Los Blancos take on Real Betis at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday.
