Isco has been ruled out of the Madrid derby after Real Madrid revealed the midfielder has been diagnosed with acute appendicitis.
The reigning Champions League winners did not put a timescale on the 26-year-old’s recovery, but he will definitely miss Saturday’s clash with arch rivals Atletico following surgery on Tuesday afternoon.
A statement on Real’s official website read: “After tests were performed on Isco, he was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. The player will have surgery in the next hours.”
Isco is expected to be out for around four weeks and is also a doubt for next month’s El Clasico with Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
Lopetegui, speaking at a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s La Liga clash at Sevilla, said: “He had pain this morning and has to have an operation. Hopefully everything goes well and he recovers as soon as possible.
“We wish him a speedy recovery and we’ll think about the solutions and those who can play because we have the utmost confidence in them.
“He’s about to undergo surgery and we hope he returns as soon as possible to full fitness.”
Dani Carvajal could also miss the Madrid derby with Atletico.
“We’ve got a good squad and somebody else will have to play. I have total confidence in the rest of my players.
“I have not been able to talk to him. He’s about to go into surgery. I hope he can quickly get back into shape.”
Right-back Dani Carvajal did not train with his Madrid team-mates on Tuesday and could also be set to miss the clash with Diego Simeone’s side.
“We’ll see [if Carvajal will miss El Derbi]. He had an overload and has not improved as we expected,” added Lopetegui, who confirmed he will sit out the match at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
“We have to wait. He will not play against Sevilla. It’s an injury you have to look at day by day.
“Injuries will happen. In this case it’s been unfortunate, but they are normal. We have to face them with a level head and with confidence in the player who comes in.”
Real have failed to win any of their last four trips to Sevilla in all competitions, losing three of those games.
