Real Madrid without captain Sergio Ramos for Apoel Nicosia Champions League trip

Real Madrid will be minus captain Sergio Ramos for Tuesday's (21 November) Champions League Group H clash with Apoel Nicosia as expected.

The Spanish stalwart was left bloodied by an accidental kick to the face from Lucas Hernandez during the 36th minute of a goalless La Liga derby draw against rivals Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday evening and managed to see out the remainder of the half before being replaced by Nacho at the interval.

Ramos, who initially played on with his nose plugged with cotton wool, was subsequently diagnosed with a fractured septum after medical tests and was labelled a major doubt for the midweek trip to Cyprus.

The 31-year-old was unsurprisingly omitted from Zinedine Zidane's 20-man travelling squad that departed the Spanish capital on Monday morning, although Marca report that he will not undergo surgery.

Instead, Ramos is expected to be fitted with a protective mask that could allow him to be available for upcoming league fixtures against Malaga and Athletic Club Bilbao. However, conflicting reports suggest he will be sidelined for up to three weeks.

Mateo Kovacic will also play no part against Cypriot champions Apoel, despite returning to training last week. The Croatian midfielder has not featured at all since suffering a partially torn groin muscle during Real's initial 3-0 victory over the same opponents in Madrid on 13 September and was not on the bench against Atletico.

Gareth Bale also remains sidelined after his proposed comeback from a lingering calf problem was delayed by a thigh strain. Zidane was previously quick to allay fears that such a setback would lead to another month in the treatment room, expressing hope that the injury-plagued Welsh forward could be "back at 100%" as soon as this week.

Goalkeepers Keylor Navas (groin) and Luca Zidane (shoulder) are both still out, meaning that 17-year-old fourth-choice stopper Moha Ramos continues as back-up to temporary number one Kiko Casilla. Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric are both in the squad after each completing 90 minutes against Atletico.

Lacklustre Real, now 10 points adrift of Barcelona in the La Liga title race, were humbled 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur on their last Champions League appearance at Wembley Stadium, with such a result meaning they were forced to wait to confirm their place in the last 16. That crushing defeat came just three days after they were stunned by newly-promoted Girona in Catalonia.

Victory at Nicosia's 22,859-capacity GSP Stadium would secure a knockout berth and also see the defending 12-time European champions draw level on points with Spurs if Mauricio Pochettino's side, brushed aside by Arsenal at the weekend, are bested by a crisis-stricken Borussia Dortmund outfit that have won just one solitary match since September.