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Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is to miss Wednesday's La Liga trip to Athletic Bilbao, with the defender still sidelined due to a shoulder injury. Ramos dislocated his left shoulder in last week's 4-0 Champions League Group A win at home to Shakhtar Donetsk and missed Saturday's narrow 1-0 win over Granada at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The centre-back had been working hard to try and recover in time to travel to San Mames, but he has not been named in the 19-strong squad for the game. Attackers Gareth Bale (calf) and James Rodriguez (thigh), along with right-back Danilo (knee), are also still out, with no official word from their club on whether any of the trio will be available for their upcoming international games with Wales, Colombia and Brazil respectively. Ramos' centre-back partner Pepe, who looks set to partner France international Raphael Varane at San Mames, has told Madrid's website that any team would miss Galacticos like James and Bale, but Madrid have the depth of squad to cover any absences. "James and Bale are two great players and we'll definitely miss them," Pepe said. "But we have top quality players in the squad who are going to come in fully motivated and eager to help our club." Portugal defender Pepe said he was sure Athletic would play with a lot of character and hunger on Wednesday, and Madrid would have to work hard to match their opponents. "It's difficult to make a prediction, it's going to be a great game, a fixture the fans will enjoy," he said. "We have to be ready and we hope, with all humility, that we'll win. We are going to be up against a team that shows a lot of character, a lot of hunger and we're expecting a very tough match. We'll have to work hard and give it our all if we're to come away from there with a good result." Pepe had words of praise for Athletic's "powerhouse" centre-forward Aritz Aduriz, who scored in the Basque team's Spanish Super Cup success against Barcelona in August, and also got the winner in a 1-0 home win against Madrid last season. "[Aduriz] is a top quality player and a powerhouse," he said. "He works hard for his team and we have to be ready to play well and face off against an extremely motivated striker, who is enjoying a great run of form." There was also an insight into how new Blancos coach Rafa Benitez had been working his players on the training ground to form a "solid, strong side." "[Benitez] really likes working on tactics," Pepe said. "We're still getting used to his training methods. The aim is to be a solid, strong side. We have to get an understanding of the manager's mentality as quickly as possible. We need to work together and be united, show plenty of character and look to win as many titles as we can. We want to be happy with what we've done at the end of the season."
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