Spanish club FC Barcelona suffered a massive setback ahead of their league clash against Real Madrid at the Estadi Olimpic Luis Companys on October 28.
The Blaugrana's key midfielder, Pedri, has been ruled out of the important league clash following a thigh injury he sustained in late August.
Even though Barca's head coach Xavi Hernandez confirmed that there had been no relapse in the 20-year-old's injury, he still has not started training with the first team with Clasico just four days away.
Despite Barcelona doing well during Pedri's absence, his importance and quality cannot be denied as he is considered one of the most important players for Xavi and is the glue that keeps his midfield together, along with Frenkie de Jong.
It must be noted that the Catalunya club is having a difficult time coping with injuries as defenders Sergi Roberto and Jules Kounde have already been ruled out of the match against Carlo Ancelotti's side.
The inclusion of De Jong, star striker Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha has also been a question but it is likely that the latter two will be able to participate in the most important match of the season yet, while the Dutch has the least chance of making it to the squad.
If De Jong doesn't return to training in time, Barcelona will be left with only three midfielders — Ilkay Gundogan, Gavi and Oriol Romeu.
Xavi Hernandez may do what he has been doing this season; calling players from La Masia and getting their services. During this season, Xavi has called up players like Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and most recently, Marc Guiu, who scored an 80th-minute winner against Athletic Bilbao over the weekend.
On the other hand, Real Madrid will have their all players except Dani Ceballos for the match against FC Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao have been ruled out till April after tearing their Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in August.