Raphael Varane out of Real Madrid Squad to Face Tottenham with Injury

Raphael Varane has joined Gareth Bale and Keylor Navas on the sidelines after he was not included in Real Madrid's squad for their UEFA Champions League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. 

Madrid announced the squad on Tuesday:

Varane's exclusion comes after he was withdrawn at half-time during Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Girona.

Real confirmed the defender's issue, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

Los Blancos travel to Wembley Stadium to face Spurs after the pair drew 1-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier in October.

The two sides are level on seven points after three games—six ahead of Borussia Dortmund and APOEL Nicosia—and also boast the same goal difference, so Wednesday's clash is likely to go a long way in determining who wins Group H.

La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney believes Varane's absence will be a significant blow:

It could be mitigated slightly if Harry Kane is unable to feature amid his own battle to get fit, but his injury proved costly against Girona and Spurs are of a much higher calibre with or without the striker.

What's more, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said he is "feeling good" about Kane's chances of being involved, per Sky Sports.

The in-form hitman can take advantage of any slip-ups presented to him, so if Real continue to struggle he can be a real threat.

Real are already eight points behind Barcelona in La Liga. It's not disastrous for them to finish second in their Champions League group—they did so last year and still went on to win—but it's far from ideal.

They need Varane back as soon as possible, or his injury could destabilise their campaign even further.