Pedri to miss Copa Del Rey El Clasico due to injury

Barcelona midfielder Pedri will miss the second leg of the Copa Del Rey El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, scheduled to hold at Camp Nou on April 5.

Pedri has been dealing with a hamstring problem which saw him miss Sunday’s 2-1 win for Barcelona against Real Madrid in the league’s El Clasico.

The Spaniard was on the road to recovery ahead of the fixture, but despite training on Friday morning, he couldn’t complete a session with the team forcing him to sit out of Sunday’s clash.

The 20-year-old got injured in the first half of the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff tie against Manchester United at Camp Nou, which ended in a 2-2 draw defeat, with Manchester United moving through 4-3 on aggregate after a 2-1 win in the second leg at Old Trafford.

Furthermore, the player would have an extended time on the sidelines and will be in a race against time to feature on April 5 in the Copa Del Rey second-leg clash at Camp Nou.

The first leg of the fixture happened at Santiago Bernabeu in March, and Barcelona were able to secure a 1-0 victory. The second leg will also be the fifth El Clasico this season and the final one.

Barcelona has won three of their last four El Clasico played between both sides, with the only loss coming in the first El Clasico of the season at Santiago Bernabeu, which ended 3-1 in the league.

Barcelona manager Xavi has had to rely on Sergi Roberto and Frank Kessie in Pedri’s absence. Nevertheless, the club has created a 12-point gap at the top of the La Liga table.

However, Barcelona havw been knocked out of the European competitions but are on track for a local double if they get past Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey and also win the final.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu