Barcelona will be without winger Raphinha for Sunday’s El Clásico clash against LaLiga leaders Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, assistant coach Marcus Sorg confirmed on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Brazilian has failed to recover from a leg muscle injury, adding to Barcelona’s growing list of absentees that already includes Dani Olmo, Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, and goalkeepers Joan Garcia and Marc-André ter Stegen.

With 10 players sidelined since August, the Catalan giants are facing one of their toughest selection challenges of the season ahead of one of its most decisive fixtures.

Despite the latest setback, Sorg said the team remains hopeful of welcoming back several key players, including Ferran Torres, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Frenkie de Jong, all of whom participated in Saturday’s training session.

“Any team would miss Raphinha, but the situation is what it is — he’s injured,” Sorg told reporters. “We’ll see if Ferran starts; we’ll decide tomorrow. Jules Kounde also trained this morning and could feature. I still have no idea about the starting eleven.”

Torres recently withdrew from Spain’s national team camp due to muscle fatigue, while De Jong missed several training sessions this week through illness. Kounde, meanwhile, was forced off during the 6–1 Champions League win over Olympiacos in midweek after taking a blow to the leg.

The injuries have further complicated Barcelona’s preparations for the high-stakes encounter against their arch-rivals, who currently sit two points clear at the top of LaLiga after eight matches.