Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to be out for a month after the latest tests on the Portugal international's injured ankle revealed no improvement - which would mean he would miss Portugal's World Cup play-off matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Ronaldo first sustained the problem during the Champions League match against Marseille in September and then aggravated it while playing for Portugal against Hungary, forcing him to miss Madrid's last seven matches - of which the Spanish giants have won just two.
Watch Ronaldo talk about the world's best players - after the advert
World Cup final qualifiers:
Madrid would have been hoping the £80million summer signing from Manchester United would have made enough progress in his recovery to be available for this weekend's derby at Atletico Madrid, but after undergoing another test on the ankle on Wednesday, it was determined there had been no improvement.
That means the 24-year-old, who scored nine goals in helping Madrid win each of their opening seven competitive matches this season, cannot return to training and will continue undergoing treatment until another test is carried out.
Madrid are one point behind leaders Barcelona at the top of the Primera Division heading into this weekend's 10th round of fixtures.
Sign-up to Fantasy Football and WIN AN X-BOX
Register to play Virgin Media Sport's fantastic new fantasy football game and you could get your hands on a brand-new X-Box 360!
Click here for more details
Also In Football
