Real Madrid had four players unavailable ahead of their match at Barcelona, with Vinícius Júnior ruled out through suspension. Madrid were due to play at Barcelona.
Rodrygo and Mendy recovery updates
Rodrygo had not played for Real Madrid since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee in March. He was likely to return to action at the start of next year.
Mendy underwent surgery on a tendon tear in May and had recently started taking part in team training again. He was unlikely to be cleared to feature in matches until after the November international break.
Center back still waiting for first appearance
A Real Madrid center back had not yet featured for Madrid this season and underwent surgery to fix a stress fracture on his right tibia at the end of September. The exact details of the 23-year-old's recovery timeline were unknown, but he was not expected to return to availability until the new year.
Vinícius Júnior suspension
Vinícius Júnior was shown a straight red card for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair in the win over Villarreal. That action, along with his subsequent angry remonstrating with the referee, earned him a four-game ban domestically.
Vinícius Júnior was forced to miss the win over Sevilla and was set to sit out the Clásico, as well as the upcoming fixtures against Racing Santander on Nov. 1 and Valencia on Nov. 7. He would be available for selection again in La Liga for the home game against Celta Vigo on Nov. 21, following the next international break.


