FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez held a press conference ahead of the much-awaited league clash against Real Madrid at the Estadi Olimpic Luis Companys on October 28.
Barcelona have been struggling with injuries lately with many key players ruled out and some still a doubt for the important league game.
However, the Blaugrana's key players — Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde — were all present in the final training session but no one other than the Polish striker is expected to make it to the playing XI.
Earlier it was reported that Pedri was definitely ruled out of El-Clasico but Xavi has denied to rule any of their injured players out of the squad including the 20-year-old midfielder.
"Everyone wants to force themselves to play. But the coaching staff doesn’t want to force anyone. They are committed to the team. We’ll see tomorrow," Xavi said. “I won’t give any hints about the lineup, but he’s fine."
In general, Xavi remained surprised as some of the players, who were definitely out of the league clash, returned to the training much sooner but their participation remains a doubt.
“They surprised me too. Everyone wants to be there, we’ll see tomorrow. The feeling is very good. The squad list will be tomorrow. We’ll see how they felt. That everyone is available is fantastic.
“We don’t know if he notices the accumulated games… we don’t know if it is the decisive factor. The injuries are down to a variety of factors. With Pedri we set deadlines for ourselves. There is no problem with Pedri, or with the rest."
At the end, Xavi confirmed that all the players were available and appreciated his players' attitude as they were determined to participate in the clash against Carlo Ancelotti's men.
“I think the news here is that everyone is available, if there is something to point out, it’s that some of these players were meant to be out for five weeks and are back in three. That speaks to the attitude of the players. The five footballers that looked as if they will be out, are in.”
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.