It looks like Barcelona will not be able to catch Real Madrid in La Liga this weekend because their key midfielder Pedri is “virtually ruled out,” according to the latest sources.

The 20-year-old hasn’t played since the middle of August because he hurt his leg. He was supposed to be back in mid-October, in time for their game against Athletic Club this weekend at the latest. His return has been slower than expected, though, and Sport reports that Barcelona has decided not to risk him in this Saturday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid.

Before their Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk this Wednesday, Barcelona had a light practice, but none of their six hurt players came back to play. Although Pedri hasn’t played in two months, they won’t risk him because of how important the Clasico is. They can only hope that Pedri will be able to return to full training sometime this week. They don’t want to risk one of their best players by going straight into El Clasico after two months of rest.

This means that Gavi, Ilkay Gundogan, and probably Oriol Romeu will play in the middle for Xavi Hernandez. Fermin Lopez, a young player, is his only other choice, but Frenkie de Jong is also having trouble getting back in time for the Clasico, so Barcelona will have an understrength team.