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Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: Benitez's men forced to cope without Rodriguez

Real Madrid will have to cope without one of its star players when the club returns to La Liga action at Espanyol.

Rafael Benitez will hope Real Madrid can shake off the absence of James Rodriguez when the club takes on Espanyol at Estadi Cornella-El Prat on Saturday.

Real was dealt a big blow Thursday as scans confirmed attacking midfielder Rodriguez had torn a muscle in his left thigh, the former Monaco and Porto man having picked up the injury in Colombia's midweek international friendly with Peru.

Rodriguez is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, where he will be joined by fullback Danilo, who is out for a month because of a foot problem.