Barcelona will have a very important match next week against Girona in LaLiga, needing to win after the poor impression left by the defeat suffered against Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. At least coach Hansi Flick will have a strong reinforcement for this weekend’s game.
Raphinha Is Back In Action At Barcelona After An Injury
According to newspaper AS (via Barça Universal), Brazilian Raphinha will be back on the roster to reinforce the Barcelona team. The forward returned to the field on Friday to complete part of the training session with the reserves, which is a fundamental step towards training with the rest of the squad over the weekend.
It is worth remembering that Raphinha (estimated at €80 million on Transfermarkt) suffered a muscle strain against Elche, preventing him from playing in the second half, with an initial prognosis of a week’s recovery.
However, his recovery took longer than expected, leaving the striker out of the games against Albacete and Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey, as well as Mallorca in LaLiga.
Flick certainly missed having a right winger in a 4-3-3 formation, with his technical quality allowing him the freedom to cut inside and play as an inside forward. Among his main skills, Raphinha often breaks down defenses with diagonal runs and has great chemistry with Pedri and Gavi in offensive transitions.
The statistics even confirm the Brazilian’s importance to the team’s offensive performance: Barcelona has lost only games this season when Raphinha was not in the starting lineup. His movement off the ball, attracting defenders and opening up space for the midfielders, is another decisive quality, alongside his ability to finish well from inside and outside the box.
Barcelona Still Can’t Count On Other Injury Returns
Despite celebrating the return of the Brazilian striker, Barcelona will still be without Marcus Rashford. The Englishman made a sudden movement during last weekend’s match against Mallorca, injuring his left knee. As a result, the Barcelona player remains sidelined and is unlikely to recover in time for the match against Girona.
Another loss for Barcelona is Pedri, who is likely to return only on February 22 against Levante in a LaLiga match at Spotify Camp Nou. Finally, Gavi and Andreas Christensen are also out and will not be available to coach Hansi Flick this weekend.
Barcelona leads LaLiga by just one point over Real Madrid in a race that will likely go down to the wire. The rivals will face a tougher challenge this weekend against Real Sociedad.
