Madrid's Modric sidelined with knee injury

Real Madrid maestro Luka Modric will miss Sunday's clash against Eibar with a left knee injury that the capital club will monitor in the coming days.

A statement on Madrid's website offered no official details regarding a timetable for his return, though Spanish daily Marca understands Modric will need three to four weeks to recover.

If the report is indeed true, the injury would rob Croatia of its talisman ahead of next week's World Cup qualifiers. Modric was initially called up for international fixtures against FIFA newcomer Kosovo, and Finland.

Modric didn't participate in training with the rest of his Los Blancos teammates Saturday, along with captain Sergio Ramos, who is being rested for the upcoming tie.

Mindful of the crowded schedule approaching, Zidane is beginning to enforce a rotation policy to ease the workload on the shoulders of his top players.

After posting a club-record 16 consecutive La Liga wins, however, Madrid has dropped points in three straight matches. Draws with Villarreal and Las Palmas, and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, stalled the momentum of a scorching start to the campaign.

With midfield rock Casemiro and enterprising full-back Marcelo both nursing their own ailments, Zidane will have to dig deeper into his bench to score a win over eighth-place Eibar.