Barcelona's squad for the Real Madrid match was devoid of Frenkie de Jong's name despite his return to group training last Friday evening.
The Netherlands international has suffered an ankle sprain that has kept him out of action in recent weeks, with initial estimates suggesting he could catch the Clásico.
Indeed, De Jong returned to training on Friday and Xavi Hernandez was hopeful to see the former Ajax player against Real Madrid, before being ruled out of the clash.
According to "RAC1", De Jong felt some discomfort in his foot after training, and given the concern of Xavi and the medical staff of Barcelona about any setback, it was decided to exclude him and not risk him playing against Real Madrid.
De Jong is not the only name to participate in Friday's training and will not be present in the Clasico, but Pedri is added to him, but the latter did not suffer from discomfort, and the decision to exclude him for fear of any haste leads to his re-injury and loss for a longer period.
It is worth noting that Barcelona have brought back the trio of Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski and Rafinha, and reports suggest that they will all be on the bench against Real Madrid.
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