Real Madrid have suffered a frightening injury blow just two weeks before El Clasico, as it has been confirmed that Luka Modric has returned from international duty with an injury.
The Croatian midfielder, who recently made it known that he expects to play for his country through 2024, was a crucial part of the team’s victory over a group that included France and Denmark to advance to the Nations League finals next summer.
Although he played the full 90 minutes, the 37-year-old sustained an injury during their final match against Austria, and subsequent reports indicate that he has a hip issue.
He is anticipated to miss 10 days of action due to the issue, which would prevent him from playing in Real Madrid’s two Champions League matches against Shakhtar Donetsk as well as their La Liga matches against Osasuna and Getafe.
The veteran is anticipated to be healthy for the crucial match against Barcelona in the middle of October, which will be welcome news to the Los Blancos supporters.
Modric, the Ballon d’Or winner, has played in each of the six La Liga games played under Carlo Ancelotti this season, contributing a goal and an assist, and playing an important role in the Real Madrid engine room, which is aging but still dominant.
El Clasico 2022
The first Clasico of the 2022–23 season has been set for Sunday, October 16 at 4:15 p.m. CET at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Barcelona and Real Madrid as the opponents.
The month of October is going to be extremely busy for both teams, with Barcelona scheduled to play Real Mallorca and Celta in La Liga and Inter twice in the Champions League before traveling to Madrid.
Real Madrid will take on Getafe and Osasuna in the Spanish first division in addition to Shakhtar Donetsk in a European doubleheader.
The two longtime rivals’ matchup will be keenly anticipated as usual and is sure to have an impact on the title chase this season.
Since they have won every game this season, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will be in a strong position going into the big game. Barcelona, on the other hand, has lost some ground but is still competing well.
Since the Frenchman is injured, it is still unknown if Karim Benzema will be available for El Clasico. Robert Lewandowski, on the other hand, is prepared to play. Due to their recent injuries, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong, and Ousmane Dembele may not play.
Real Madrid leads in El Clasico Head to Head
As of the match played on July 23, 2022, Real Madrid leads Barcelona in head-to-head outcomes in competitive matches with 100 triumphs to 97 victories and 52 draws; Barcelona leads Madrid in exhibition matches with 20 victories to Madrid’s 4 with 10 draws; and in overall matches with 117 victories to Madrid’s 104 with 62 draws. They are the only clubs in La Liga (together with Athletic Bilbao) who have never been relegated.
Real Madrid and Barcelona’s rivalry has long transcended the field of sport to the point where the election of the teams’ presidents has become heavily politicized.
The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are both their teams’ all-time leading scorers, was the most intense in El Clásico history between 2009 and 2018.
