Barcelona include Hamza Abdelkarim in squad for Galatasaray trip as Raphinha remains absent

Barcelona have named a 22-man squad for their Champions League trip to Istanbul to face Galatasaray on Tuesday, with Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim included among Hansi Flick’s attacking options.

The Catalan club are aiming to make it two wins from two in the league phase after opening their campaign with a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord.

Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen all miss out through injury. Their absences had been expected following the squad update Flick gave before Saturday’s La Liga match against Getafe.

Barcelona’s squad is:

Goalkeepers: Joan Garcia, Dominik Livakovic, Wojciech Szczesny.

Defenders: Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Xavi Espart.

Midfielders: Rodri, Marc Bernal, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Brian Farinas.

Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Gabriel Jesus, Hamza Abdelkarim.

Eric Garcia’s return is the main change to Barcelona’s European selection. He missed the opening match because of suspension after being sent off in the second leg of last season’s Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona go into the game having beaten Getafe 3-0 on Saturday. That result maintained their perfect start to the Spanish league season, with 24 points collected from their first eight matches.

Flick confirmed that Raphinha would not recover in time to face Galatasaray. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the Brazil international is targeting a return against Paris Saint-Germain on 20 October in the Champions League.

De Jong, who has been out for about three and a half months with an injury, is being considered for a possible return before Saturday’s meeting with Sevilla.

The Barcelona delegation is due to arrive in Istanbul on Monday afternoon. Flick and Pau Cubarsi will then attend a news conference before the squad completes its final training session at Rams Park, the venue for Tuesday’s match.

Barcelona will wear their black away kit, which fades into purple. They previously wore the strip in a 5-0 victory over Elche earlier this season.

Guida appointed for Istanbul fixture

UEFA has appointed Italian referee Marco Guida to take charge of the match.

It will be Guida’s third European fixture involving Barcelona, with the club yet to win either of the previous two. His first was Barcelona’s 3-2 defeat by Belgian side Antwerp in the 2022-23 Champions League group stage in December 2022.

His second came last season, when Barcelona drew 1-1 with Newcastle United in the first leg of their last-16 tie in England.

Guida has also refereed Galatasaray twice in European competition, with the Turkish club recording one victory and one defeat. His most recent Galatasaray appointment was their 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in last season’s Champions League league phase.

The Italian also refereed Greece’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in the latest international break in the Nations League, as well as two Serie A matches this season: Genoa against Como and Bologna against Torino.