France's defender Raphael Varane heads the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification Group D football match between Bosnia-Herzegovina and France at the Grbavica Stadium, in Sarajevo, on March 31, 2021. (AFP)
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane had tested positive for COVID-19, the Spanish club said, ruling him out of the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool on Tuesday.
The 13-times European champions will be without both first- choice central defenders for the game against Liverpool and probably the second leg at Anfield on April 14, as captain Sergio Ramos is sidelined due to injury.
Zinedine Zidane is set to field Spaniard Nacho Fernandez alongside Brazilian Eder Militao at the heart of his defence in the first leg, a repeat of the 2018 Champions League final which Real won 3-1.
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