Real Madrid dealt second injury blow as Sergio Ramos ruled out for six weeks

Real Madrid have been dealt a second injury blow within 48 hours. Defender Sergio Ramos has been ruled out for six weeks after tearing a hamstring in his left leg during Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday.

The injury to Ramos was preceded by the announcement that Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez is set to miss the next two months after breaking his right foot during the same match.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti will be shorthanded in defense for this weekend’s Madrid derby, with Pepe and Marcelo ruled out due to injury and suspension respectively. The Italian tactician will likely line up with a back-four featuring Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Raphael Varane and Fabio Coentrao; with Alvaro Arbeloa another option in defense.

The positive news for Madrid heading into Saturday’s derby is the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the starting eleven – after the forward completed his two-match ban for violent conduct during a match against Cordoba two weeks ago. Also, no matter what happens at the Vicente Calderon this weekend, Real Madrid will remain on top of La Liga due their current four point advantage over second place Barcelona.

But looking at the upcoming fixtures, Ancelotti will have a difficult time replacing the experience of Sergio Ramos and world class talent of James Rodriguez in Real Madrid’s squad.

With important La Liga fixtures against Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao on the horizon, and the league leaders preparing to restart their Champions League campaign against FC Schalke in less than two weeks time, fans of the club will be hoping Ancelotti’s second choice players step up to the challenges that lie ahead.

Programming note: Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid will be shown LIVE on Saturday morning starting at 9:55am EST on beINSPORTS and DishWorld.