Rival watch: Barcelona midfielder to miss Real Madrid clash after surgery | OneFootball

In a little over a month, Real Madrid will host arch-rivals FC Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the 2025/26 season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Both teams have made a solid start to the season and will be hoping to keep building momentum leading up to the blockbuster encounter on 26 October.

Real Madrid are set to be without two key players for the game as both Antonio Rudiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been sidelined for a considerable period through injuries.

Now, it appears that Barcelona will also be without an important player for the Clasico.

Gavi likely to miss Real Madrid clash

Indeed, Barcelona midfielder Gavi is set to miss the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid next month.

The Spanish international underwent arthroscopic surgery earlier today to address the issue and is expected to be out for a period of four to five months as per the club statement.

“First team player Pablo Páez Gavira ‘Gavi’ has undergone an arthroscopy to repair the injury to his internal meniscus. It has been sutured in order to preserve the meniscus. The recovery time is estimated at around 4-5 months,” the statement read.

The 21-year-old midfielder has been out of action since late August, due to a troublesome knee.

Having opted for conservative treatment for the past few weeks, Barça and the player finally decided that surgery was the best way forward earlier this week.

A recovery period of 4-5 months means that the La Masia midfielder will not make it back in time for the Real Madrid clash on 26 October.

Apart from Gavi, Barcelona will also be without their first captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is a long-term absentee after undergoing back surgery during the summer.