Following yesterday night’s stalemate at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes against Granada, Barcelona is now three points behind league leaders Real Madrid.

After the international break, El Clasico is quickly approaching, and the Catalans have a fantastic opportunity to close the gap and make up ground. On October 28, though, they might be without a number of their main players, which would be a severe setback.

Six players, all at differing stages of recovery and with drastically different odds of playing against the current league leaders in the season’s opening El Clasico, are listed as doubtful for Xavi Hernandez’s match against the leaders.

This is a summary of the same.

Kevin Kounde

This season, the French center back has been the team’s greatest defender, but yesterday night’s loss to Granada caught everyone off guard.

The club subsequently verified that the injury was a sprain to the left knee’s internal lateral ligament, with a five-week recovery period initially predicted by the prognosis.

As things stand, Kounde is unquestionably out of the picture for El Clasico, and even a miracle seems unlikely.

The Lewandowski Robert

In the team’s midweek UEFA Champions League match against FC Porto, David Carmo viciously challenged Robert Lewandowski, sending him down. An ankle sprain was diagnosed by tests, albeit it was made worse by ligament involvement.

The Polish forward is a major doubt for the enormous match and is anticipated to be sidelined for over a month. Although doubtful, his return is not totally ruled out.

De Jong Frenkie de

It has been more than two weeks since Frenkie de Jong was hurt and had to leave the game against Celta Vigo. A lengthy recuperation period was anticipated after the distal tibioperoneal syndesmosis was injured.

De Jong’s participation against Real Madrid always seemed improbable, to be honest. Xavi would not want to put the player at danger, thus the situation has not altered.

Pedri will return, but De Jong will miss the Clasico. (Image courtesy of AFP/ANDER GILLENEA via Getty Images)(

Sergio

Pedri Gonzalez, the team’s vital component, has been out since suffering a serious muscle injury in late August. In fact, it was reported last week that he was working out with a ball.

Pedri is nearly a lock to play in the match against Carlo Ancelotti’s team at the end of the month, assuming his recuperation proceeds at the same rate. After the international break, it is actually anticipated that he would play against Athletic Club again.

Rafaela

The Brazilian suffered a right femoral biceps injury against Sevilla, making him one of the more recent casualties on the lengthy list of setbacks.

Nevertheless, given that it is a purely muscle injury, his prognosis is better. Raphinga might be available for El Clasico or even the games preceding the highly anticipated matchup.

Yamal Lamine

The youthful apprentice left the game against Granada early due to a hip injury to his iliac psoas muscles. However, it is believed to be a minor issue, and as a result, he has continued to train with the Spanish national team in spite of his ailment.

There remains hope for Yamal’s comeback even if his name is the most recent one on the list. He could play against Athletic Club on October 22nd, which is nearly a given for El Clasico.