Barcelona are set to take on Real Madrid in the La Liga this weekend and as per reports, Pedri will not be fit for the El Clasico.
Pedri suffered a hamstring injury in gameweek two of this season but Xavi was optimistic that he would be fit to play against Real Madrid. However, as per SPORT, Pedri is “virtually ruled out” for this weekend.
The youngster has played more than 100 games for Barcelona in all competitions but he’s massively injury-prone because since making his senior debut the 20-year-old has missed around 66 games.
As per the reports in Spain, Pedri was not seen in training on Monday which means he won’t play the Champions League game in midweek and is a major doubt for the weekend. He still has a few more days to prove his fitness and be available but there’s no way his manager will name someone in the starting XI who’s just made a comeback.
If Pedri misses out against Real Madrid, it will be a massive blow for Xavi because Frenkie de Jong is also out right now. The Dutch international has been out since the third week of September with an ankle injury but recently, he has had a splint removed which was protecting his ankle and this is a big step towards his recovery.
As per the updates, De Jong has a much better chance of featuring in the El Clasico and if he does make a comeback, it will be a big boost for the Barcelona manager.
Frenkie de Jong might have a chance of coming back into the matchday squad but it remains to be seen if Xavi immediately hands him a start.
Barcelona play Shakhtar in the UCL in midweek and in that match, Gundogan, Romeu and Fermin Lopez play as three midfielders and at least two of them will hold onto their place in the first XI for the Madrid game.
If Pedri and De Jong are both unavailable for the weekend then Gundogan and Romeu will hold onto their places and then Gavi will come into the team.
