The Real Madrid defender Raphaël Varane has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the Champions League match against Liverpool on Tuesday.
With the captain, Sergio Ramos, ruled out through an injury picked up on international duty, the 27-year-old was set to play a key role on Tuesday in the quarter-final first leg in Spain. But Varane, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, will be unavailable for Zinedine Zidane’s side after testing positive on the morning of the match.
“Real Madrid CF informs that our player Raphaël Varane tested positive in the Covid-19 test he underwent this morning,” read a club statement.
Varane had been rested for the La Liga match against Eibar on Saturday with the Liverpool game in mind. The positive test leaves Nacho and Éder Militão as the centre-back options for the first leg.
Madrid are due to take on Barcelona in El Clásico on Saturday before the second leg against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday next week.
Source: The Guardian