Real Madrid stars will be itching to get back into La Liga action after they went into the international break on the back of a 4-1 hiding at Valencia.
Real looked to have put some early-season wobbles behind them after a stunning win at bitter rivals Barcelona was followed by a comfortable victory against Huesca.
But the reverse against Valencia will have reignited some of the concerns as they prepared to face Villarreal before their midweek trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Like the rest of Europe, Real boss Zinedine Zidane will be waiting anxiously on the return of some of his overseas stars after the international break.
Real are concerned that striker Luka Jovic may have been exposed to Covid-19 infection after an outbreak of the virus in the Serbian national team, on the back of Eden Hazard, Casemiro and Eder Militao all testing positive in recent weeks, and going into periods of self-isolation.
Casemiro looked in fine form, however, as he prepared for the Villarreal clash on Saturday. Real sit in fourth place, trailing Unai Emery's side by two points and leaders Real Sociedad by four - although they do have a game in hand.
