El Clasico rivals smirking: Guler and De Jong soon on the pitch

Arda Guler was welcomed to Real Madrid with high expectations. At the beginning of July, he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Fenerbahçe for 20,000,000 euros, with a potential 10,000,000 through bonuses, but he has yet to make his debut in the Royal Club shirt. That should change soon.

Marca writes that the 18-year-old attacking midfielder has started training with the ball again, which means that the injury could soon be a thing of the past. It will still take him some time to get back into competitive rhythm, but it is certain that he will not have to wait long for his first performance under the command of Carlo Ancelotti.

The promising Turk first had to have surgery on his right knee in mid-August due to meniscus problems, and after a six-week recovery, he suffered a muscle injury in his left leg, which led to another break.

This did not demoralize the young Guler, as soon as he was allowed to, he started training in the gym, and this Thursday, photos from Real's training show him on the field with the team, practicing with the ball, which means that maybe he could be on the field after the international break.

Real will play their next game on October 21 against Sevilla away from home, and then they will have two more tough matches on the sidelines: against Braga in the Champions League (October 24) and El Clasico with Barcelona (October 28). At their stadium, Madrid will play again on November 5 against Rayo Vallecano.

There is also some good news from the rivals' infirmary. For three weeks, Barcelona have been playing without Frenkie de Jong, an extremely important player in Xavi's team. Due to an ankle injury sustained in the match against Celta, when Jonathan Bamba tackled him, the Dutchman had to leave the field at the end of the first half and then missed the matches against Mallorca, Sevilla, Granada and Porto in the Champions League. In those games, Barcelona recorded two victories and two draws.

De Jong's recovery from the injury is expected to be five to seven weeks, however, Catalan Mundo Deportivo reports that the 26-year-old will take off his knee-length brace and start training again on Monday. Whether he will have enough time to get back in shape before the big derby with Real Madrid is already a question.

Allegedly, Barcelona are optimistic that the Dutchman could be available for El Clasico on October 28 at their stadium, but it is emphasized that the decision will be primarily up to the player himself, and then the coach. Unless he is sure that De Jong's ankle is fully ready to take the strain, Xavi will not risk losing him for an even longer period.

Until that hurtful 36th minute of the meeting with Celta, Frankie de Jong had played every minute of this season in Primera Division, and was also the starter in a convincing victory over Antwerp (5-0) in the Champions League. His absence is felt in the game of the Catalan team, although Xavi has great players available in the midfield - Gavi, Gundogan, Romeu, young Fermin, Raphinha if necessary...