Topics: Raphael Varane, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Barcelona, El Clasico, UEFA Champions League
Zinedine Zidane has been handed another huge blow ahead of a crucial week that will see his side play Liverpool (twice) and Barcelona.

Real Madrid are gearing up for a crucial week of football, with the Spanish giants set to take on Liverpool on Tuesday in the first leg of their quarter-final clash before facing Barcelona over the weekend. Unfortunately, Los Blancos will be forced to play both games without one key player.

That man is none other than Raphael Varane, with the French ace being ruled out after contracting COVID-19. The Spanish outfit confirmed this gut-wrenching news on Tuesday, the day of their home clash with Liverpool, with Los Blancos' odds of making the semi-finals diminishing by the day.

The Liga giants host the Reds at the Bernabeu before visiting Anfield in the return leg a week later. The 2018 World Cup winner now faces a race against the clock to be available for the trip to Merseyside.

What makes things worse is that Varane is not the only absentee for the injury-plagued Real Madrid. Club captain Sergio Ramos is expected to miss the clash with Liverpool and El Clasico, while Dani Carvajal is also set to miss the first leg showdown with Salah and Co.

Furthermore, the Frenchman is also all but out for El Clasico, a make or break game for Real Madrid's La Liga hopes. Defeat to Barcelona could see the reigning Spanish champions fall five to six points behind in the title race with only eight games remaining, and given that Zidane's two preferred center-backs are unavailable, the hosts would need a miraculous display to come away with all three points on Saturday.