Real Madrid's Lucas Vazquez (left) challenges for the ball with Alaves' Ruben Duarte during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Alaves and Real Madrid at the Mendizorroza stadium in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, on Dec 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

MADRID - Real Madrid defender Lucas Vazquez was added to the club's extensive injury list on Friday with a muscle injury that will keep him out of its Copa del Rey debut away to Arandina on Saturday and next week's Spanish Supercup in Saudia Arabia.

"Following tests carried out today by the Real Madrid Medical Services on our player Lucas Vazquez, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his right thigh. His progress will be monitored," explained the club's website, without speculating about a return date.

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Vazquez joins Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy on the injury list, with the added problem for coach that all the injuries are in defense, limiting his options to rest players during an intense period of the season when they are playing League, Cup and Supercup, before the return of the Champions League in February.

Ancelotti has Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, Fran Garcia and Antonio Rudiger as his only fit specialist defenders, with Aurelien Tchouameni playing as a makeshift central defender in its narrow win at home to Mallorca on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, FC Barcelona has confirmed that full back Joao Cancelo suffered, "a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee", in Thursday's narrow win in Las Palmas.

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Although Barcelona has also failed to give a return date, Cancelo also seems certain to miss the Supercup.