Barcelona and Real Madrid players who could miss the El Clasico

Barcelona will be hosting Real Madrid on the 3rd of December, as the El Clasico returns. The match is bound to be a hotly contested fixture despite the fact that a number of star players could miss out the important game. Real Madrid are on top of the league with 33 points, with Barcelona trailing them by 6.

Here are the players who could miss a title-deciding derby.

Barcelona

Player	Type of injury	Status	Return date
Andres Iniesta	Knee injury	Doubtful	Back in training
Jordi Alba	Knee/ankle injury	Most likely out	Unknown
Jérémy Mathieu	Calf injury	Most likely out	Back in training
Samuel Umtiti	Hamstring strain	Doubtful	Back in training

Andres Iniesta injured his knee on the 22nd of October during a match against Valencia. He was expected to be out for more than 6 weeks, but the player has already returned to training. The player could possibly be a viable option to play in the game.

Jordi Alba, on the other hand, suffered an injury against Real Sociedad, after falling awkwardly. There is little chance of him featuring in the derby.

Mathieu and Umtiti are not expected to feature in the El Clasico at all.

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Real Madrid

Player	Type of injury	Status	Return date
Raphael Varane	Knee injury	Doubtful	Back in training
Fabio Coentrao	Groin injury	Unlikely	Unknown
Toni Kroos	Broken toe	Not featuring	Late December 2016
Alvaro Morata	Hamstring strain	Not featuring	Mid December 2016
Gareth Bale	Ankle injury	Not featuring	Late January 2017

Raphael Varane returned to full training with Real Madrid, alongside Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. There were serious doubts about the winger’s fitness, but the star looks fit and ready for it. Varane missed out on Saturday's 2-1 win over Sporting Gijon, as he picked up a knock during the previous fixture against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League. His troublesome right knee has been a constant problem.

Toni Kroos is on track to return after an injury in his right foot. The player is planning to feature for the club during the FIFA Club World Cup, which as of now is a more realistic target. Gareth Bale, on the other hand, is definitely ruled out. He recently had surgery on his right ankle, and is in line to miss the next ten games. The player is not expected to feature until February.

Alvaro Morata is out with a muscle injury, and is definitely out of the Clasico. His goal will be to return for the Club World Cup, alongside Kroos.