Reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid have been dealt a major blow ahead of their clash with BATE Borisov in the UEFA Champions League in midweek by the news that their star striker Gonzalo Higuain shall miss the showdown n Belarus.
The Argentine striker suffered a serious ankle sprain against Recreativo de Huelva in La Liga on Saturday and had to be stretchered out of the pitch with 10 minutes left in the match. Further medical examinations have ruled him out of the clash against BATE away from home.
Real Madrid are currently going through a poor run of form and need to gain maximum points against BATE in their group. They have six points from two matches in their group in the Champions League and any slip-up could hand over the advantage to Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg who have four points from two matches.
Higuain would be sorely missed by the Merengues as he is the only in-form striker available for under-fire Bernd Schuster. Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is out for the rest of the season while Raul’s form is not too reliable at the moment.