Before the Clasico: Real Madrid confident of having their star's suspension overturned against Villarreal

Can Real Madrid pull it off?

Real Madrid are clinging to the hope that a booking handed out during the Villarreal win will be wiped from the record, a decision that could prove crucial with the Clasico against Barcelona looming and fears growing that the player could miss it altogether.

According to "Tribuna", Madrid are confident they can persuade the referees' technical committee to cancel the yellow card shown to Ibrahima Konate in the 1-0 victory over Villarreal.

Konate was booked in the closing minutes for a challenge on Gerard Moreno, with referee Isidro Diaz de Mera judging that the Madrid defender had caught the Villarreal forward in the face.

Television replays told a different story. They raised doubts over whether there was any contact at all, and that, per the report, is why the Spanish giants fancy their chances of a successful appeal.

This is about more than one yellow card. Madrid want to make sure they don't lose a player before Barcelona arrive.

Should the card stand, another booking against Sevilla would trigger a suspension and rule Konate out of the Barcelona game, exactly the scenario the club are desperate to avoid.

The French defender arrived from Liverpool last summer and has grown into one of Jose Mourinho's key options at the back.