Madrid face anxious wait on Pepe

Real Madrid CF could go into their opening UEFA Champions League Group C outing against Werder Bremen without Pepe after the defender was sidelined by a thigh injury.

Double blow
The 24-year-old sustained the knock in training and further scans revealed he had suffered a tear which will require between two and three week's rehabilitation. The injury makes him doubtful for Madrid's home match against Bremen on 18 September and comes as an untimely blow for a player who only hours earlier had earned his first international call-up by Portugal. He will nevertheless travel to join Luiz Felipe Scolari's party and undergo an examination by the national team doctors.