Rival watch: Real Madrid captain likely to miss Barcelona clash due to leg injury | OneFootball

With the first El Clasico of the 2025/26 season less than a month away, it appears that both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will go into the game with a number of injury-enforced absentees.

On Barça’s side, Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen have been ruled out of the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, while Joan Garcia also remains a major doubt, although he is not entirely ruled out as of yet.

As for Real Madrid, who suffered their first loss of the season this past Saturday, Antonio Rudiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold will both be unavailable, while Ferland Mendy remains a question mark.

Dani Carvajal joins the list of casualties

Now, Real Madrid have lost their captain and first-choice right-back, Dani Carvajal, to an injury.

The club confirmed via an official statement that the veteran defender has suffered a soleus muscle injury in his right leg.

While the statement from Real Madrid does not provide a recovery period, journalist Arancha Rodriguez reports that the Spanish international will likely be out for four weeks.

This makes Carvajal’s availability for the Clasico on 26 October unlikely, with the game set to be played in a little under a month from today.

In the recent past, Real Madrid players have returned from injuries earlier than initially anticipated. So, at this moment, Carvajal might not entirely be ruled out of the game against Barcelona. But the chances of him being unavailable are very high.

This comes as a huge blow for Xabi Alonso & co., who are already without their other right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The summer arrival suffered an injury earlier this month and is expected to be out until November, potentially leaving Real Madrid without a recognised senior right-back for next month’s El Clasico.