MADRID, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona must recover from last weekend's loss to Real Madrid while navigating an injury crisis that has sidelined playmaker Pedri.
The Spain international suffered a hamstring injury that could keep him out until mid-December.
Pedri joins a lengthy list of absentees for Sunday's home match against Elche, including Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen and the suspended Gavi. Joan Garcia is also out, though he would have been suspended after his red card at the Bernabeu anyway.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick will return to the dugout after serving a suspension and is expected to start either Marc Casado or Marc Bernal to cover for Pedri's absence. He could have Robert Lewandowski fit for the match against an Elche side coached by Eder Sarabia, who was an assistant at Barcelona under Quique Setien in 2020.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid's week has been dominated by Vinicius Jr.'s angry reaction to being substituted against Barcelona. The forward has since apologized to his teammates.
Coach Xabi Alonso must decide if that apology secures Vinicius a starting spot against Valencia, which slipped into the bottom three after a 2-0 home defeat to Villarreal. Valencia travels to the Bernabeu with three defeats and two draws in its last five league games, clearly missing central defender Mouctar Diakhaby. Madrid could see the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Dani Carvajal is out for several weeks after knee surgery.
In other matches, the Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club Bilbao headlines Saturday's fixtures. Athletic seems to be struggling for form and fitness after what was arguably its worst display of the season in a defeat to Getafe. Coach Ernesto Valverde is contending with an injury list that includes Aymeric Laporte, Maroan Sanadi and Benat Prados.
Valverde will hope a week without a midweek match helps his team prepare for a rival that always lifts its game for the derby. Real Sociedad strengthened coach Sergio Fernandez's position with a home win against Sevilla.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid, lifted to fourth place by its first away win of the season against Betis, hosts an inconsistent Sevilla side that has lost consecutive matches but has the pace to hurt Atletico on the break.
Bottom-of-the-table Girona travels to play a Getafe side boosted by its win in Bilbao. Villarreal, in action Saturday, hosts an in-form Rayo Vallecano, which has won its last three games. Both sides enjoyed comfortable Copa del Rey wins in midweek.
Also, Celta Vigo aims to build on last weekend's win over Osasuna with a visit to an unpredictable Levante. Alaves, which holds the best defensive record in La Liga, hosts Espanyol, and Betis plays at home to a limited Mallorca side.
The round of matches ends Monday with tension in Oviedo as the home side faces an Osasuna team that has suffered five away defeats this season. Oviedo was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by third-tier Ourense on Tuesday, and newly installed coach Luis Carrion is already under pressure. ■
