Barcelona key duo still not ruled out for El Clasico vs Real Madrid – report

Less than 72 hours remain for La Liga’s biggest fixture to return to the big screen. Barcelona and Real Madrid will lock horns at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday, and the world could not be more ready for the famed fixture.

Both clubs have not been at their best this season. While Barcelona are staring down a long list of absentees, Real Madrid have largely relied on individual brilliance to get past the finish line.

Yet, there is no Clasico better than one between two equally jeopardised teams.

Xavi hopes to recover some players

Barcelona have been without some of their biggest names in recent games. Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, Pedri, and Jules Kounde are all regular starters under the manager who are sitting on the sidelines.

Kounde and Pedri, along with Sergi Roberto are almost certainly ruled out for the Clasico, while Raphinha sits as the one with the best chance of making a return.

Now, according to reports from Javi Miguel, Lewandowski and De Jong are not completely ruled out for Saturday’s game, even though reports last night suggested that the latter will not return in time for the clash.

The duo participated in rondos as of this morning but still completed the rest of the session individually. 

Their participation on the night will likely be a last-minute decision based on their sensations ahead of the game. 

Xavi has the resources

Normally, having just 12 first-team players to count on would be a disaster for a manager, more so in the Champions League.

Xavi was faced with a daunting situation last night in the team’s clash against Shakhtar Donetsk but managed his personnel perfectly to cover the gaping voids.

In the absence of midfielders like Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi (suspension), Fermin Lopez started alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu and delivered an absolute masterclass.

And Fermin, who already scored against Real Madrid during the pre-season, did his chances of featuring in the Clasico no harm last night.

In the final third, the manager opted to start Ferran Torres alongside Joao Felix and Lamine Yamal.

While the manager would fancy having Lewandowski back for the Clasico, he does have quality resources to prepare for the worst.