Real Madrid and Barcelona will be facing each other in a crucial game soon. These two lifelong rivals are going to clash at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Saturday, April 10, in the Round 30 of La Liga 2020-2021. Asides from all the expectation that a Clasico always brings, this match will be even more special at this stage of the season.
Merengues and Cules have been chasing the first spot of the standings for a while, and following the latest setbacks suffered by the leaders Atlético de Madrid the gap on them is even shorter. That's why the winner of this duel would have a boost to keep on fighting for the title, leaving the loser a bit behind in the race.
However, both sides won't be available to count with all their assets for this derby and their lineups will be decided according to that. The hosts seem to be in a worse situation, but the Blaugranas will also have to deal with the absence of a couple of important players for this game. Here, find out who won't take part in the highly-awaited El Clasico 2021.
Real Madrid's issues ahead of the derby
Zinedine Zidane won't be counting on his two best central-backs for a while. The captain Sergio Ramos came back from International duties with Spain injured, and Raphael Varane tested positive for Covid-19 before the Champions League clash against Liverpool.
However, Los Blancos overcame those setbacks in their triumph against the Reds in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Zidane has no other option but to start Eder Militao and Nacho Fernandez again, after a convincing win a few days ago.
Still, the French manager has more injury-related problems in his squad. Dani Carbajal couldn't recover from an injury in his right thigh muscle, and Eden Hazard, who started to train with the team again, finally wasn't called up for the upcoming match to avoid putting him at risk of re-injury.
Less problems for Barcelona, although they suffer as well
On the other hand, Ronald Koeman doesn't face so many casualties as his next opponent does, but there are a couple of unavailable players for him. Youngster Ansu Fati and Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho remain sidelined, both with meniscus injuries.
Nevertheless, Gérard Piqué's situation was the most concerning one for the Dutch coach before this important clash. The central-back was ruled out after the Copa del Rey clash against Sevilla, with a pain related to a previous game against Atlético de Madrid. However, the Spaniard worked hard lately with his mind focused on this Clasico and earned a place in the squad list, although it isn't known yet if he will make it into the starting eleven.
