Illarra or Khedira

Luka Modric had to be taken off the pitch in the 26th minute of the match between Italy and Croatia due to a groin strain.

The Croatian midfielder came to an unexpected halt following a sprint and the player himself signalled that he couldn't carry on.

The incident happened whilst Modric was fighting for the ball with an Italian player in the middle of the park.

A few seconds later he was limping noticeably. The midfielder was trying to stop an Italian counter attack, but his run came to an abrupt halt and he had to lie down on the grass immediately, made all the more uncomfortable by the heavy rain that had been falling in Milan, causing flooding in various parts of the city that threatened to suspend the game.

The player received medical attention on the pitch but had to abandon the playing field for further treatment. Shortly afterwards, clearly in a lot of discomfort and visibly holding his hand to his groin, the player was helped into the dressing room by coaching staff and Mateo Kovacic came on as his replacement in the 27th minute.

It just so happens that on the 16th November, 2013, during a friendly between Italy and Germany played in the very same Giuseppe Meazza stadium (1-1), Sami Khedira also got injured, following a collision with Andrea Pirlo.

On that occasion, Sami Khedira suffered a serious knee injury and had to undergo surgery as a result of the incident.

Boris Nemec, the head of the Croatian FA's medical department, believes that Luka Modric may be sidelined for up to six weeks.

In the worst-case scenario, this would almost definitely mean the midfielder missing out on the Club World Cup in Morocco.

"It doesn't look good. It looks like a quadriceps strain, so in my opinion he will be out for four to six weeks", Nemec told the Croatian media.

Modric's account of the injury does not provide grounds for optimism: "I felt a twinge in a previous move but I tried to carry on, and then that's when I felt a much stronger pain".

As soon as he touched down in Madrid, Luka Modric underwent an MRI scan to ascertain the exact extent of his injury. Real Madrid released a medical report after the test which diagnosed the midfielder with an injury to his left groin and, although it did not say how long the Croat is expected to be out, it could be two to three months.

Luka Modric's injury could theoretically open the door for Sami Khedira to enjoy a regular run in the team for the first time since he sustained his serious knee injury last year. However, the club is pushing towards Illarra getting the nod instead, despite Carlo Ancelotti having shown on several occasions that he prefers the German.

The reasons are political: Khedira has rejected a number of new contract offers over the last 12 months - Real Madrid have not heard from his agents since July - and will be free to sign a pre-contract elsewhere in just 43 days.

While Ancelotti and the club see eye to eye on the fact that the 27-year-old should not be allowed to leave in January under any circumstances, they disagree on how the contract rebel should be treated. Nevertheless, the higher-ups won't cause any trouble if the coach ultimately does decide to use the Germany international.

Interestingly, Toni Kroos's arrival at the club was supposed to be as a replacement for Khedira, but no bids came in for the former Stuttgart man and Xabi Alonso ended up leaving for Bayern Munich instead.

What's more, Bayern's shadow continues to loom over the Bernabéu, as there are fears that the Bavarian outfit has an agreement with the anchorman. The argument is that the Bundesliga champions are keen to snap up one of the few Germany stars to elude their grasp so far, and in the process gain a measure of revenge for Kroos's departure, as it hurts to see the 24-year-old shining so brightly in white.