Real Madrid could be without three defensive starters against Alaves Espanyol vs Real Madrid Two suspensions and an injury to Ramos

There will be a defensive puzzle for Santiago Solari to solve next weekend against Alaves, as he could be without three of his usual defensive starters.

Sergio Ramos suffered an injury to his left knee in the first half after a collision with Sergio Garcia and was replaced by Nacho at half time.

It remains to be seen how serious the issue is for the captain, but he is now a doubt for next weekend's match against the Basque side.

Making the situation all the more problematic is the fact that fellow centre-back Raphael Varane was shown a red card in the second half and is now suspended, while starting right-back Dani Carvajal is also suspended after seeing a fifth yellow card of the season.

Before the Alaves match on Sunday, Los Blancos will return to Catalonia on Thursday for the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final against Girona, for which Carvajal and Varane will be available.