We've talked at length about Atletico Madrid ahead of Friday's Champions League draw, but an injury update on Cristiano Ronaldo is going to force us to momentarily turn our attention to the other side of Madrid:
BREAKING: Cristiano will miss Wednesday's Copa del Rey final after suffering a thigh muscle tear. He faces 15 days on the sidelines.
— AS English (@English_AS) April 10, 2014
The official medical report ambiguously talks of a "muscular injury" and does not state how long Cristiano will be out for.
— AS English (@English_AS) April 10, 2014
While there is no official timetable of yet, most early speculation suggests that the player could miss in the vicinity of 15 days. This would put him out for the first leg of a Champions League semifinal, with any setback possibly causing him to miss the entire contest.
It's also entirely possible that the player could be back in time for the semis, though you would have to wonder just how effective a partially fit Ronaldo would be. Regardless, knocking out the the Spanish club is a far less daunting proposition if the status of their best player is in doubt.
The draw will be held on Friday morning, at 11:00 BST.