Real Madrid vs Barcelona team news: Will Sergio Ramos, Varane be fit to play El Clasico?

LaLiga action takes centre stage this weekend as eternal rivals Real Madrid will take on Barcelona on Sunday night. El Clasico comes at a crucial juncture in the campaign for both sides and will have major implications on the LaLiga title race. Los Blancos have been hit by a major injury crisis and will head into the game without key personnel, including captain Sergio Ramos. Here's the Sergio Ramos injury update and the Real Madrid vs Barcelona team news: 

El Clasico live: Real Madrid duo Ramos, Varane out of Barcelona clash 

Real Madrid will be without first-choice centre backs Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane for their crunch clash against arch-rivals FC Barcelona. Captain Ramos suffered a calf injury while on international duty with Spain and was subsequently ruled out of the clash, along with the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool. Varane is also ruled out of the clash after testing positive for coronavirus, while right-back Dani Carvajal is nursing a thigh injury. Nacho and Eder Militao filled in for the injured duo against Liverpool, while Lucas Vazquez slotted in at right-back.

Zidane is most likely to go with the same XI that handed Liverpool a 3-1 defeat but will have an option in Fede Valverde and Eden Hazard. The midfielder recently recovered from his injury and is likely to feature from the bench for the hosts during the El Clasico. Eden Hazard, who returned to training and was expected to return vs Barcelona, has not been named in Real Madrid's squad for the game. Ferland Mendy is expected to retain his place in the side as the left-back, while Marcelo could be brought in if Zizou reverts to his three-at-the-back formation. Karim Benzema has single-handedly managed the goal-scoring burden for Los Blancos and will hope that both Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr keep chipping in with their goals like they did against Liverpool. 

El Clasico live: Barcelona injuries, team news for Real Madrid 

Barcelona have their fair share of injury problems with Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati remain on the sidelines with knee injuries. Backup goalkeeper Neto is also out with an ankle issue, while Sergi Roberto is back, but will have to contend from the bench with Sergino Dest establishing himself as the first choice. Gerard Pique made huge steps forward in his recovery from a knee problem, and despite the risk, has been named in Barcelona's squad for El Clasico, and could feature alongside Clement Lenglet. If Koeman switches to a back three, Oscar Minigueza also comes into contention, with Jordi Alba playing left wing-back. Frenkie De Jong is settled at the base of the midfield and will partner with Pedri, while Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezzman could be partnered by Ousmane Dembele in the attack. 

Real Madrid vs Barcelona team news: Predicted line-ups

• Real Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Nacho, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius
• Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Dest, Pique Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Pedri, Busquets; Griezmann, Messi, Dembele

(Image Courtesy: Varane, Ramos Instagram)