Barcelona star Jordi Alba could make a shock return to fitness ahead of this weekend’s El Clasico showdown with Real Madrid.

La Blaugrana play host to their arch rivals at the Camp Nou on Sunday with the stakes continuing to rise for under pressure boss Ronald Koeman.

The Dutchman is already set to be without key pair Pedri and Ronald Araujo through injury with Alba flagged up as a serious doubt earlier this week.

The Spanish international suffered a minor foot sprain during the midweek 1-0 Champions League win over Dynamo Kyiv despite completing 90 minutes against the Ukrainians.

According to reports from Diario AS, Alba is pushing hard to take his place against Los Blancos with the club’s medical staff considering a painkilling injection to get him through the match.

Koeman is likely to wait until the last minute to make a firm decision on Alba’s fitness with teenage full back Alex Balde on standby to cover if needed.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Mavericks ride 'Luka Magic' on both ends late to win Game 1
Panthers shut out Rangers 3-0 in Eastern Conference Final opener
Watch: Timberwolves and Mavericks trade dunks in third quarter
LeBron James, Charles Barkley passionately defend Caitlin Clark from 'petty' haters
NBA announces 2023-24 All-NBA teams
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner tempers expectations for Juan Soto extension
Canucks' Rick Tocchet wins 2024 Jack Adams Award
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has intriguing comment on his contract situation
Celtics toying around with surprise Jayson Tatum move in conference finals
Incredible Orioles streak finally comes to end against Cardinals
Raiders QB shares surprising reason for switching jersey number
New Jersey Devils to hire just-fired head coach to lead bench
Latest announcements show how deep Knicks' injury issues ran
Star Padres infielder to miss significant time with shoulder injury
Veteran WR announces retirement after nine seasons
Eagles stars defend new DC following criticism
Steelers first-round pick still confident following 'rough' practice
Angel Reese pulls notable sports ownership move
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit with record fine for All-Star Race scrap
Sean McVay dodges questions about Matthew Stafford's contract issue

Want more Soccer news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.