Barcelona plan cautious Raphinha return after previous injury setback

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is preparing to take no risks with Raphinha after the Brazil forward suffered a hamstring injury during the current international break.

Raphinha was withdrawn from the Brazil squad and is due back in Spain on Thursday. He will undergo further examinations with Barcelona’s medical staff to assess the pain in the back of his right thigh and determine whether he can recover in time to face Getafe on Saturday, 10th of the month.

According to Marca, Flick is already considering alternatives because he does not want to rush the player back. Raphinha has not been ruled out of the match, but his involvement will depend on the results of the tests and his progress over the coming hours.

The German coach is mindful of what happened last October, when he brought Raphinha back to training too quickly. The Brazil international then suffered a recurrence of the same injury in the same area, leaving him sidelined for almost a month.

Flick later accepted public responsibility for that setback, admitting that he had underestimated the injury and mismanaged the timetable for Raphinha’s return. One of the matches the player missed was the Clasico.

Real Madrid are again on the horizon, with the next meeting scheduled for Sunday 25th of this month at Camp Nou. Flick is determined not to repeat what he regards as an unwelcome scenario and will therefore adopt a particularly cautious approach to Raphinha’s recovery.

If the former Leeds player is unavailable against Getafe, Barcelona have several possible replacements, although they offer very different qualities and styles. Gabriel Jesus and young forward Hamza Abdelkarim are the most natural options as recognised centre-forwards.

Neither player, however, has featured regularly for Barcelona this season. Gabriel Jesus has played only 41 minutes across four matches, although he has scored twice. Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim has made just one appearance, playing four minutes in the La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano.

Flick could also use players who have already performed effectively in a false-nine role. Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi are among those options, while Lamine Yamal could also be deployed through the middle.

Barcelona will make a final decision on Raphinha after completing the medical assessment and reviewing his recovery before Saturday’s fixture.