Is Sergio Ramos playing tonight vs Barcelona? Real Madrid team news for El Clasico

This weekend's LaLiga clash features the highly awaited El Clasico with Real Madrid hosting Barcelona at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Sunday, April 11 with kickoff scheduled for 12:30 AM IST. The stakes could not be higher for both sides as just two points separate the two eternal rivals with a possibility for both sides to go top of the LaLiga standings. With so much on the line, it raises the questions - 'Is Sergio Ramos playing tonight?' and 'When is Sergio Ramos coming back?'

Is Sergio Ramos playing tonight? Sergio Ramos injury update

Real Madrid are set to face a massive injury blow ahead of El Clasico as the latest Sergio Ramos injury update is that the centre-back will not feature in the starting line-up against Barcelona. The Spanish international had missed nearly two months of action this winter with a knee injury and made a brief appearance in the game against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League. However, the Madrid captain is now injured again with a muscular injury in his left leg and may even miss the UCL quarter-final second leg against Liverpool.

When is Sergio Ramos coming back?

The details of a Sergio Ramos return are yet unknown as Real Madrid have not provided an exact timeline for the centre-back's return, but did give a statement for the same. "Following the tests carried out today on our captain, Sergio Ramos, by the Real Madrid medical department, he has been diagnosed with a muscular injury to the internal calf in his left leg. His recovery will be monitored." With Los Blancos still trailing in the LaLiga title race by three points from Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid fans will hope that the Sergio Ramos injury is not too serious.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona team news: Sergio Ramos return delayed

Heading into El Clasico, Zinedine Zidane will be without a number of crucial players, including club captain Sergio Ramos. His centre-back partner Raphael Varane is also sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal and Hazard are also not included in the 19-man squad after recently returning to training. As a result of a squad affected by injuries, the same starting line-up that featured against Liverpool is expected for El Clasico.

Real Madrid predicted starting line-up: Thibaut Courtois; Ferland Mendy, Nacho Fernandez, Eder Militao, Lucas Vazquez; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Marco Asensio, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema