With Barcelona expecting to soon face off against Real Madrid, the stakes could not be higher. The El Clasico rivals are scheduled to encounter each other on the 28th of October at the Montjuic Stadium. Points are on the line to determine the standings in the league, but El Clasico is always worth much more.
However, unfortunately for Barcelona, it appears that the latest update is nothing but bad news. The Catalan giants are already suffering from an injury crisis, and it seems that matters are not going to get better any time soon.
Injury woes continue
According to the latest update provided by Sergi Capdevilla of SPORT, Barcelona will remain without one of their key stars against Real Madrid. 20-year-old midfielder Pedri is now expected to miss the clash against Los Blancos due to precautionary reasons.
Previously having returned to training and even being expected to have minutes against both Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk, it now seems unlikely that Pedri will get those opportunities.
Xavi will have to wait a little longer to have his star midfielder back at his disposal. Consequently, even the clash against Los Blancos will now require the coach to make temporary adjustments.
“The more the merrier”
FC Barcelona are now hoping to fully recover Pedri to return to full training at least. As for the game itself, while not completely ruled out, his participation seems unlikely.
Similarly, Brazilian winger Raphinha may also miss out on El Clasico. Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie De Jong are even being considered to be fully ruled out if any major developments do not occur.
The news comes as a major blow for FC Barcelona. Having previously hoped to recover their injured stars for El Clasico, their wait is extended yet again.
Before Real Madrid comes along, however, there is also another test. There is also the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk for Barcelona to worry about.