Injured Real Madrid star desperate to play against Barcelona in El Clasico; club's stance on player's return comes to light: Reports

Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal is reportedly desperate to return for El Clásico against Barcelona later this month. There is also optimism from the club that the Spaniard could potentially return by that time.

Carvajal suffered an injury in Los Blancos' 5-2 defeat against city rivals Atletico Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday, September 27. He was subbed off in the 59th minute at the Wanda Metropolitano for Eduardo Camavinga. The following day, Real Madrid posted a statement that he had a tear in his right soleus muscle.

As per AS, due to the tear and swelling, it was estimated that Carvajal will be out for four to five weeks. However, the swelling went down on Tuesday, and there is optimism that he could return in over three weeks. The Spaniard is desperate to return for their clash against Barcelona.

The first El Clásico of the season will take place at the Bernabeu in LaLiga on October 26. It could potentially be a title-deciding match. Barcelona lead the league standings, sitting just a point above Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Los Blancos will hope Carvajal returns for the game as they are also without Trent Alexander-Arnold due to injury. The former Liverpool man is expected to be out for a further five to six weeks.

A look at Real Madrid and Barcelona's start to the 2025-26 campaign

Both sides have started the 2025-26 season strongly, aside from a couple of blips. Barcelona won the domestic treble last season and will look to defend their trophies. They began the domestic season with a 3-0 win away over Mallorca before beating Levante 3-2 away.

The Blaugrana then drew 1-1 against Rayo Vallecano away before hammering Valencia 6-0 at home. They beat Getafe 3-0 at home, Real Oviedo 3-1 away, and Real Sociedad 2-1 at home. In the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St. James' Park but lost 2-1 against Paris Saint-Germain at Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, started the 2025-26 LaLiga campaign with a 1-0 win over Osasuna at the Bernabeu before beating Real Oviedo 3-0 away. They beat Mallorca 2-1 at home and Real Sociedad 2-1 away before hammering Espanyol 3-0 at home. They beat Levante 4-1 away before suffering a 5-2 defeat against city rivals Atletico Madrid away.

In the Champions League, Real Madrid beat Olympique Marseille 2-1 at the Bernabeu before beating Kairat 5-0 away.

About the author

Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.

A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.

Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.

Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.

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Edited by Aditya Singh