Barcelona started the 2025/26 season with a lot of authority, but they headed into the international break in October with two consecutive defeats against PSG and Sevilla.
After winning the domestic treble last season under manager Hansi Flick. there's a lot of expectation from this Barcelona side and it will be interesting to see how the German tactician reacts after suffering a 4-1 thrashing against Sevilla in their last La Liga fixture.
With that result, Barcelona have slipped to the second spot in the points table with archrivals Real Madrid taking the top spot with a couple of points lead after eight league games.
The two La Liga giants will go up against each other for the first El Clasico of the season on October 26 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Before the high voltage clash, Barcelona are already in a disadvantageous position as midfielder Dani Olmo has suffered a calf injury during his international duty with Spain.
He had signs of discomfort last which worse on Friday and after the Spanish Football Federation doctors monitored his situation, he returned to Barcelona for further examinations.
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There were rumours of a muscular injury but on Monday, Barcelona released a statement about the player's health, which read: "Dani Olmo has injured the soleus in his left leg, with no damage to connective tissue. His recovery time will depend on how the injury evolves."
However, according to reports via Mundo Deportivo, the 27-year-old is expected to remain on the sidelines for the next two to three weeks, which means he may miss the crucial El Clasico against Real Madrid.
What does Barcelona's injury list look like?
Olmo has continued his poor run of injury records since moving to Barcelona from RB Leipzig in 2024 for a deal worth €60m.
The 27-year-old versatile midfielder has missed 20 games last season due to several different physical issues but still managed to feature in 39 matches and scored 12 goals in his debut season in Spain.
However, he now joins other injured Barcelona players including Gavi, Ferran Torres and Joan Garcia.
The likes of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez have returned to training after missing out the recent games for their respective issues and should be available for the big clash.
Meanwhile, Gavi and Garcia will miss the El Clasico as both players have undergone surgeries and need time before getting back on the field.
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