Real Madrid injury news: Alaba's knee sprain nothing to worry about

Real Madrid CF completed a comfortable "revenge" victory over Sheriff Tiraspol on Wednesday and booked their spot in the Round-of-16 in the UEFA Champions League. However, there were some worrying scenes as centre-back David Alaba was substituted after complaining of discomfort in his left knee.

The 3-0 victory over Sheriff was the perfect result for Los Blancos, who suffered a shock defeat against the Moldovan team when they met earlier in the group stage. It was a much-needed win for the 13-time European Champions, who needed to bury the humiliation of losing to the tournament newcomers.

Alaba played a crucial role in the match, scoring the first goal at the half-hour mark. The Austrian, who arrived from Bayern Munich on a free transfer just this summer, has already become one of the most important starters in Carlo Ancelotti's squad. Following a successful career with the Bundesliga giants, he has so far been showing that he is not a star that will fade under the glaring lights at the Santiago Bernabeu.

His substitution caused fans to worry, especially as the club enters a month full of crucial fixtures. Ancelotti spoke to the press after the match and assured that Alaba will probably recover quickly. "We don't believe Alaba's injury is going to be major," he said.

According to Marca, the injury is a "low-impact sprain" and tests have revealed that there are no torn ligaments that could have kept the Austrian in the recovery room for an extended period.

To further confirm that the injury is just a small knock, Ancelotti has named Alaba in his squad for Sunday's big ticket match against Sevilla. It remains to be seen if he will start, but it seems he is at least fit enough to be in the lineup.

The match against Sevilla will be crucial in the title race, with the Andalusian side currently only two points behind leaders Real Madrid.