Real Madrid have announced that Eden Hazard and Casemiro have tested positive for coronavirus and will now go into quarantine in line with Spanish COVID-19 laws.
The duo is now officially ruled out of Sunday’s La Liga match away to Valencia.
The reigning La Liga champions said in a statement that Hazard and Casemiro were the only positive results after tests werr carried out on Friday.
Brazilian center back, Eder Militao, also faces time out after also testing positive earlier this week.
Hazard 29, had been named in Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad for their upcoming international fixtures despite limping off after 65 minutes during Real’s 3-2 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The positive results, however, would rule Belgium’s Hazard out of next Sunday’s Nations League match against England while Brazil’s Casemiro seems unlikely to be allowed to feature against Venezuela and Uruguay in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Real will play Inter Milan in the return leg of the Champions League group match later this month, in what has become a crucial game in Group B, with German side Borussia Monchengladbach topping the table halfway through the group stage.
“Real Madrid CF announces that our players Casemiro and Hazard have given positive results in the COVID-19 tests carried out yesterday morning,” reads a statement on the club’s website on Saturday.
“All the other players and the coaching staff of the first team, as well as all the club employees who work directly with them, gave negative results in that same test carried out yesterday.
“Likewise, it is confirmed again that all, with the exception of Casemiro and Hazard, have given negative results in the antigen tests carried out this morning.”
I never liked the idea of resuming football when COVID-19 is still ravaging the country