Raul:"We have players that can replace the injured ones"

Raul has been thinking about the current physical condition of los Blancos' squad, which has been ravaged by injuries recently.

With Cristiano Ronaldo, Guti, Alvaro Arbeloa, Fernando Gago, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Christoph Metzelder all currently out injured, some have been worried about how the squad will cope in their absence.

For Raul, though, there is no problem - even with replacing the world's most expensive player.

"Cristiano is a very important player for us, but there are also other injured players," he told Marca.

"We have too many injuries, but we can count on a large squad."

Raul then picked out the Champions League double-header as the most important games in a difficult run that los Merengues are about to embark on.

"Some key games are coming up now, both in the league and the Champions League - particularly the two matches against Milan.

"We will try and qualify for the second round [as soon as possible] in order to concentrate on the league and the Copa del Rey."