Cristiano Ronaldo raised fears he would miss the first top-flight El Clasico clash of the campaign by missing full training on Wednesday.

Real Madrid confirmed that the star forward had ‘worked separately from the group’ amid reports he suffered a calf injury in the Club World Cup final triumph over Brazilian-side Gremio.

Ronaldo scored the winner in that game and his head-to-head showdown with long-standing Barcelona rival Lionel Messi is the anticipated highlight of Saturday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid are 11 points behind the Camp Nou club, who have not lost in La Liga this season.

Zinedine Zidane’s side took the honours when the teams met in the Supercopa, with Ronaldo scoring in the 3-1 first-leg win before being sent off.

He has just four league goals this term, compared to Messi’s 14.