Pepe and Casemiro ruled out of Real Madrid's game against Villarreal

There seems to be something of a mini injury crisis unfolding at Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo who only recently made his comeback against Osasuna in a 5-2 win and later played the full 90 minutes of the game against Sporting Lisbon in midweek missed the game against Espanyol on Wednesday because of a sore throat.

Gareth Bale also did not participate because of a hip problem. Zidane decided not to include them out of caution and the duo will likely return against Villarreal tomorrow.

Now, he has to deal with the fact that both Pepe and Casemiro will not be available for the game aginst the Yellow Submarines. Casemiro left the pitch prematurely in the first half of the Osasuna match after a collision and he will be unavailable because of concussion from the resulting clash.

Pepe trained with the squad on Monday but the Portuguese defender has a bruised knee which rules him out as well. Zidane is not one to take chances with injuries and prefers his players completely recover even from minor problems before taking to the field.

Raphael Varane is set to take Pepe’s place in the squad on Wednesday night and will partner Sergio Ramos in defence. The French International missed the Euros in the summer through injury and will want to make up for lost time.

Zidane’s son Enzo also trained with the first team, alongside another youth prospect whose name many are familiar with, Martin Odegaard. Both are still yet to make an appearance in La Liga this season.

Zidane now has the chance to overtake the record of one Pep Guardiola against Villarreal. His all-conquering Barcelona side holds the joint tally for the most consecutive wins in La Liga along with Zidane's Madrid which they achieved on Sunday night.

The Frenchman has apparently had two dressing room talks with his players so far despite his team having a 100% record. The first one was after the Osasuna game when they let in two goals which could have been avoided, and the second was after the narrow escape against Sporting Lisbon.

These talks are probably meant to ensure the team sticks together and not let complacency creep in. Zidane despite not making any big signings in the summer seems to have a very balanced squad.

Madrid are currently on top of the table and could pull away even further from Barcelona depending on their result against Atletico Madrid in midweek.

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