La Liga champions Barcelona will be forced to make do without an important member of the club’s defensive ranks in their upcoming showdown with arch rivals Real Madrid.

This comes amid the understanding that Jules Koundé is not recovering from his recent injury setback as quickly as first hoped.

Stopper Koundé for his part suffered an ankle problem last weekend, en route to Barcelona’s La Liga victory over Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis.

The Frenchman, as a result, was forced to sit out the Blaugrana’s Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

And if the latest word stemming from the Spanish media on Friday is anything to go by, then Koundé also looks set to miss out this weekend.

As per a report from Barca insider Javier Miguel of Diario AS:

‘Jules Koundé will not be available for Sunday’s Clásico unless a last-minute miracle occurs. His participation is practically ruled out, after it was confirmed that his sprained left ankle is healing more slowly than expected.’