Real Madrid will have to make do without the services of Pepe for a number of weeks due to a thigh injury, making him a doubt for impending clashes with title rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
The center back sustained the problem in Madrid's 4-1 win over Alaves on Saturday, being forced to leave the pitch after just 24 minutes.
He underwent a series of tests to determine the extent of the injury and Madrid has now announced the 33-year-old has been diagnosed with a muscular problem.
"After tests carried out Monday on Pepe at the Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital, he has been diagnosed with a grade two muscle injury in the femoral biceps of his left leg," an official club statement read.