Barcelona will be without Robert Lewandowski for El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu on Thursday night due to a hamstring injury.
Head coach Xavi has a selection headache going into the Copa del Rey first leg with Real Madrid due to injury issues.
Pedri and Ousmane Dembélé are also missing and the team have just lost back-to-back matches against Manchester United and Almería.
Ansu Fati looks set to be part of the matchday squad to travel to the capital for El Clásico later this week.
Fati suffered a knock to his knee in last Friday’s training session and was subsequently ruled out for the league fixture with Almería on Sunday, a game the Blaugrana lost 1-0.
Playing without Lewandowski
Xavi could play Fati as the No 9 at the Bernabéu, although Ferran Torres has looked sharper recently and is another option in the front three.
It hasn’t been a great season for Ansu Fati and he has only scored six goals in all competitions.
He should feature against Los Blancos but it may not be from the start as he struggled at times when he replaced Lewandowski during his three-match ban earlier in the season.
Raphinha will start on the right side of the attack and is currently the club’s biggest threat going forward for Xavi’s side with the injuries piling up at Camp Nou.
Kieran Quaile | GSFN
