Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane believes Barcelona could suffer in the absence of Lionel Messi, while he is relaxed over the form and fitness of his own all-star forward line.
Messi suffered a groin injury during Wednesday's 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid - a result that kept Barca three points behind Zidane's men at the top of LaLiga.
The Argentina star, who aggravated a similar problem while on international duty earlier this month, is set to be sidelined for three weeks.
Despite Barca's array of attacking talent elsewhere, Zidane expects Luis Enrique's defending champions to find the going tougher without their talisman.
"They are weakened, definitely," he told a pre-match news conference ahead of Madrid's trip to Las Palmas on Saturday. "Not too much, but Messi is Messi with what he brings to their side.
"Their side is definitely different when he is not there."
Zidane was able to field Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale together from the start for the first time in LaLiga this season as Villarreal earned a share of the spoils at the Santiago Bernabeu in midweek.
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