Two Real Madrid stars ruled out of El Clasico against Barcelona - Reports
Real Madrid will reportedly be without Arda Guler and Dani Ceballos for their El Clasico clash at Barcelona on Saturday, October 28.
The Blaugrana host their arch-rivals at the Lluis Olimpic Companys Stadium in La Liga on Saturday. Los Blancos currently lead the league table and are just a point above Barca.
Ahead of the season's first El Clasico, journalist Javier Birlanga has reported that Guler and Ceballos will not play in the match due to injuries.
Guler has yet to make an appearance for Real Madrid since arriving from Fenerbahce for €20 million in the summer. The 18-year-old suffered an injury in pre-season and then suffered another setback during his recovery process.
Ceballos, meanwhile, has made just four appearances across competitions this season, accumulating just 73 minutes. He missed Los Blancos' UEFA Champions League win over Braga in midweek and is likely to miss the El Clasico as well.
Barcelona are dealing with multiple injury issues as well. The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, and Raphinha have been nursing respective injuries and are expected to miss the game on Saturday.
Joao Felix was also subbed off during Barcelona's Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on October 25. Manager Xavi has confirmed, though, that the Portuguese only suffered a knock and will be available for Saturday.
Carlo Ancelotti confirms he has starting lineup already decided for Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti has had to experiment quite a bit with his lineup this season due to injuries and a lack of squad depth. However, the Real Madrid manager has already decided on the starting XI he is going to feature against Barcelona.
After Los Blancos' Champions League win over Braga on October 24, he said (via Managing Madrid):
“Yes, I have the starting line-up quite clear in my mind. I changed the line-up a little today because some players were carrying a little something. Those who came in did well, like Camavinga at the pivot. We now have plenty of time to prepare and we’re looking forward to it.”
Real Madrid have won eight of their first 10 La Liga games, losing once and drawing once. They played out a 1-1 draw at Sevilla in their last game.
Barca, in the mean time, are unbeaten in the league with seven wins and three draws. They secured a 1-0 win over Athletic Club in their last game.