Barcelona midfield duo unlikely to be fit for El Clasico vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

Following the heartbreak of their UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of Inter Milan earlier this week, FC Barcelona return to action on Sunday with a huge match.

The Blaugrana will play hosts to bitter rivals Real Madrid in the final El Clasico of the season in La Liga, in a game that could decide the title race in their favour.

Leading up to the encounter, Barcelona received some welcome news as Alejandro Balde returned to group training today and is expected to be available for the Clasico.

Marc Casado, Pablo Torre unlikely to be ready

However, according to a fresh update from Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s young midfielders, Marc Bernal and Pablo Torre, are unlikely to be fit to face Real Madrid on Sunday.

Casado picked up a ligament injury just before the March international break and it was suggested that the 21-year-old could be out for two months.

Pablo Torre is unlikely to be ready for Real Madrid. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

The young midfielder has pushed his recovery timeline forward and has resumed training in recent days. However, his return to action vs Real Madrid is considered unlikely and the next game against RCD Espanyol is seen as more suitable for his comeback.

As for Torre, the 22-year-old midfielder has been absent due to knee discomfort, which ruled him out of the last two games against Real Valladolid and Inter Milan.

The issue was not considered a major problem but as things stand he has not resumed training with the group and as such his return seems unlikely to happen on Sunday.

Like Casado, Torre, too, might also have to wait until the derby against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium next week to make his comeback from the injury.

Apart from these two, Marc Bernal and Jules Kounde remain out of action for Barcelona, with the former scheduled to return next season and the latter in the final week of the season.