Uefa has upheld its decision to deny Real Madrid special dispensation to register both Lassana Diarra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

A statement issued by Uefa said: "Uefa's Appeals Body today upheld the decision taken by the Uefa Control and Disciplinary Body on 8 January, in accordance with article 17.18 of the (Uefa Champions League) competition regulations.

"They rejected an appeal by Real Madrid CF in relation to the Spanish club's request to be able to register two players who have already competed in Uefa competition this season, as part of their A-list squad for the knockout rounds of the Uefa Champions League."

The Spanish giants recently announced that if they lost the appeal that they would take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

As the decision currently stands, only one of the two players can face Liverpool in the competition.