Barcelona have received good news ahead of El Clasico, as two of their key forwards are set to return in time to face Real Madrid. The Blaugrana have been hit by as many as nine injuries at one point, but will have around half of them back for their headline fixture this Sunday.
The Blaugrana saw Ferran Torres return to their matchday squad on Tuesday night for their 6-1 win over Olympiakos, following troubles with his hamstring. Despite returning from international duty with no reported injury, Torres missed their win over Girona, and only returned to training on after the Olympiakos game.
Raphinha on course for Clasico return
Most had expected Torres to be back in time against Los Blancos, but there were more doubts over Raphinha. On Tuesday the Brazilian was back in full training with his teammates say MD, and is on course to be fit to play against Real Madrid. Of course, it is unlikely that he will be able to last 90 minutes, but it is positive news for Hansi Flick nonetheless.
Andreas Christensen remains absent
On the other hand, defender Andreas Christensen remained absent from training. The Danish defender missed the game against Olympiakos with gastroentiritis, and had not recovered in time to train the following morning. The likelihood is that he will be back in training ahead of the big game though, with stomach bugs tending to pass within a matter of days.
Roony Bardghji came off the bench and immediately lit up the Montjuïc. Just a minute after replacing Lamine, the Swedish winger pulled off a stunning elastico, leaving his marker behind before assisting Fermín for his hat-trick goal. @RogerTorello pic.twitter.com/P1htIcv89M
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 22, 2025
Centre-back options for Flick
Christensen may be in line for minutes against Real Madrid, as Flick has replaced his central defenders in his last three games in a row. Significantly, Ronald Araujo saw a combined 24 minutes against Girona and Olympiakos, after being hooked at half-time against Sevilla before the international break. It would appear that Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia are Flick’s first-choice pairing as things stand.
