Real Madrid CF will be without striker Raúl González and midfielder Rafael van der Vaart for the rest of the season, although the Dutch international is expected to be fit for the FIFA World Cup.

The Liga club's 32-year-old captain Raúl will be absent for four weeks after spraining his right ankle in Saturday's 2-1 win at Real Zaragoza, having come off the bench to open the scoring. Playmaker Van der Vaart, 27, will also miss the remaining four Liga fixtures after suffering a minor tear to a thigh muscle. However, the 27-year-old should recover in time for the World Cup. Madrid lie second in the table, one point short of FC Barcelona.