Raphinha ruled out of El Clasico at Bernabeu with hamstring setback

Barcelona will be without winger Raphinha for Sunday evening's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu after the Brazil international suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury, the club confirmed. The 28 year old left a training session on Thursday with discomfort and did not take part in Friday's group work, ruling him out of the top of the table meeting with Real Madrid.

Raphinha was first injured on September 25 in the 3-1 win over Real Oviedo, when Barcelona said he sustained a hamstring problem affecting the middle third of the biceps femoris in his right thigh and would be sidelined for around three weeks. He returned to partial training this week and had been considered a candidate to feature at the Bernabeu, with manager Hansi Flick saying in a recent press conference, "We expect Raphinha to be available for El Clasico, he is on the right track." Those hopes ended after he experienced fresh discomfort at the end of Thursday's session, did not complete training and was absent from Friday's workout.

Club officials and other sources familiar with the situation indicated the setback could extend his time out by up to a month, though the club has not provided a...