The two injuries suffered by Real Madrid during their Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon on Sunday could take a toll on their much anticipated "El Clasico" derby on Dec. 3.
The 2-1 away victory of the Los Blancos came at a high price as Gareth Bale was forced to leave the pitch in the 57' due to ankle problem.
Marcelo, the left-back Brazilian defender, was also forced to leave 21 minutes before the final time after hurting his ankle in a sprint attack against Gelson Martins.
While Los Blancos captain Sergio Ramos returned to the pitch for the first time after more than a month of injury time, the possible absence of Bale and Marcelo during "El Clasico" could be a huge blow to Real Madrid.
Although Luka Modric has returned, Real Madrid's midfield is far from ideal as Toni Kroos has also left for injury and would not be available until early next year.
An injury for Bale would be a serious risk for Real Madrid as he has been their best striker this season. His possible replacement, Alvaro Morata, is also sidelined at the moment with a hamstring problem.
On the other hand, FC Barcelona has slowly regained their momentum.
Although four points away from the leading Real Madrid at La Liga standing, the Barca are back to their winning days with their ideal squad almost complete.
Although Lionel Messi failed to play last week due to a medical problem, the Argentine striker helped his team secure a 2-0 win over Celtic on Monday.
Andres Iniesta is also expected to be back on the pitch during the "El Clasico" match.
But before the highly anticipated clash in world football, Real Madrid will face on struggling Sporting Gijon this Saturday while the Barca takes on Real Sociedad.
If Real Madrid beat Sporting, they would open up a seven-point lead over Barca just a week ahead of their trip to the Camp Nou on Dec. 3.
