Real Madrid and Barcelona: who is injured or suspended for El Clásico?

The clock that counts down to the third Clásico of the season is almost about to ring its alarm. And this time it is going to be one of the loudest all season, something that reflects the heat of what is at stake: a place in the Copa del Rey final, and the chance to knock the other team out.

However, despite the anticipation, both physio rooms are playing host to key players on both sides: Alaba, Mendy, Pedri, Dembélé and Lewandowski are all confirmed absences this Thursday. Despite this long list of injured stars inside the corridors of both clubs there is a glimmer of hope: Rodrygo and Ansu Fati aim to be fit for the game.

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Real Madrid injury update

Ancelotti will have neither Alaba nor Mendy fit to play. The Frenchman’s absence was clear: he was injured in the Cup game, with an estimated time on the sidelines of around two months.

Mendy is expected later in the season, but he will not feature in either the second leg against Liverpool, nor in the League Clásico. Maybe for the second leg of the Cup. The other injury worry confirmed this Thursday is Alaba, who suffered a hamstring tear at Anfield. With an estimated month out, he will not return until after the international break.

The big unknown regarding the squad is Rodrygo. The Brazilian has gone from an absolute no-show to a potential candidate to feature, due to the hard work of the player and the positive evolution of the injury, which have given him a slim chance of playing.

As AS has learned, the player spent all of last weekend working, from morning until night, with doctors and physiotherapists in order to speed up the process as much as possible. Such was the case, that they came to his house to continue the rehab process. On Tuesday he completed the entire session with the group and this Wednesday, if he finished without any bumps, he will go one step further to confirming his name on the squad list.

Barcelona injury update

As for Xavi, the situation is even more delicate, because he is without three main pillars of his team: Pedri, Dembélé and Lewandowski. The centre-midfielder went down against Manchester United in the first leg of the Europa League. The medical report soon cam back: a tear in his right thigh. The chances of him playing in the Clásico are zero; he still has about two weeks left to return.

The most optimistic plan for Pedri would be to return to San Mamés, but if not, he would already be looking towards the Clásico in the League, the last game before the break in March. On paper, De La Fuente is not in danger of missing out on the Spaniard’s presence in his squad.

As for Dembélé, he suffered an injury to his left thigh against Girona. His situation is identical to that of Pedri: in the best of cases he would arrive back for the game against Bilbao but, if not, he would focus on returning for the Clásico on 19 March.

In Barcelona they had been preparing the match without the two stars for a long time, but now Lewandowski’s name is also on the dreaded list. You wait all day for two Catalan buses and three come at the same time. Everything was triggered in the loss to Almería, where he played the 90 minutes with apparent normality. But the next day came an unwanted medical report: a strain in his left thigh.

The word is that the player is to be out for around 15 days while he recovers from his injury, and as such is a confirmed absence for this Thursday’s game. As with Real Madrid, Barcelona also have a question mark: Ansu Fati. The Spaniard suffered a strong knock in training to his left knee (the one he had surgery on) and did not travel to Almería as a precaution. His presence in the Clásico, on paper, is not in danger. We shall see.

Are there any suspensions for the Clásico?

In terms of red/yellow cards, nobody is suspended for the game.

Real Madrid

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Barcelona

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