Pepe set to miss Granada, Rayo and Eibar through injury

Ancelotti received some bad news before training yesterday. Pepe will miss at least the next ten days through injury. The Portuguese defender, who arrived back in Madrid and went to the Sanitas-La Moraleja for tests, is suffering from a “muscle injury in his right thigh” according to a medical report from the club. He is set to miss three matches: against Granada on Sunday (12:00 CET), Rayo Vallecano next Wednesday (22:00) and Eibar on Saturday, April 11 (16:00). The aim is to be ready for the Champions League quarter-final clash against Atlético on Tuesday, April 14.

Pepe finished the Clásico clash on March 22 with discomfort in his right thigh (he was substituted after 72 minutes, although that may have been because he was on a yellow card). Two days later he joined up with Portugal but only trained one day and did not play against Serbia. “We thought he would be ready to face Serbia but we had to make a decision. Pepe looked to recover from a small trauma but unfortunately he does not meet all the necessary conditions to play,” said Portugal coach Fernando Santos. The coach also released Cristiano and Coentrao from the camp ahead of the friendly against Cape Verde.

Bad luck. Injuries have been a problem for Pepe this season. He has played 2470 minutes (60 per cent of La Liga matches) and has already missed ten matches through injury. He spent ten days off in September with discomfort in his right thigh and also missed the match against Basel (November 26) with a muscular problem. He was absent for 34 days (January 15 to February 18) owing to a muscle tear in the rib area, an injury he suffered against Atlético in the Copa del Rey. He returned for the 2-0 win at Schalke. Now Ancelotti will have to make do without him for the next three games, with Raphael Varane set to partner Sergio Ramos at centre-back. The pair have played 12 games together and have chalked-up ten wins and two defeats (an 83 per cent win ratio).

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