Pepe's recovery is going slower than expected

While, according to As, our coach has stated today that he is not worried about Ronaldo's and Benzema's problems and their presence in next Saturday's game is almost certain, the absence of information about Pepe's recovery is more than alarming. Marca claims that he has progressed as the doctors had expected and that he will be in the lineup unless any setback happens this week.

Unfortunately, there are reasons to be pessimistic. Last Saturday, after the game against Espanyol, Ancelotti stated that Pepe's condition was improving, that he had been working in the gym in the previous days and that he would take part in yesterday's training session on the field with the rest of his partners. However, there was no training session yesterday and he seems not to have taken part in the one that has been held today in Valdebebas, since he is nowhere to be seen in the photo gallery that Real Madrid has published.

It is true that Varane did a great job on Saturday, but I believe that Pepe and Ramos make the best centerback couple in the world, and we need them to maximize our odds against Atlético next Saturday.