Barcelona’s October schedule is already stretching from the Mediterranean to Europe’s largest nights, and Hansi Flick will have to begin it without Raphinha. The Brazilian forward has been ruled out of Saturday’s LaLiga meeting with Getafe and Tuesday’s Champions League visit of Galatasaray after returning from international duty with discomfort in his right thigh.
Key takeaways
- Raphinha will miss Barcelona’s next two fixtures, against Getafe and Galatasaray.
- Tests did not identify a formal injury, although the club detected a small area of swelling and has chosen a cautious approach.
- The forward was taken off at half-time during Brazil’s 4-2 win over Australia.
- Raphinha has produced 14 goals and three assists in eight Barcelona appearances across all competitions this season.
- Barcelona lead LaLiga outright on 21 points ahead of the eighth round.
Flick questions Australia trip
Flick said the decision was shaped by Raphinha’s recent physical record, with the winger having suffered three injuries last season. “The examinations showed something, but it is not an injury,” the Barcelona coach explained. “We have to be careful because he had three injuries last year and we need to look after him. He will not be available tomorrow or against Galatasaray.”
The issue emerged while Raphinha was with Brazil in Australia. He felt muscle discomfort in his right thigh during the 4-2 victory and did not return for the second half. He subsequently left the Brazil camp as a precaution, with no injury diagnosed beyond the minor oedema.
Flick did not question the player’s commitment to Brazil, describing the desire to represent one’s country as central to Raphinha’s mentality and noting that the forward always gives everything. But he was critical of the demands created by a long-haul friendly trip.
“The national team is the national team, and for every player the main objective is to play for his country,” Flick said. “But we need to consider whether it was necessary for him to play in Australia and travel so many kilometres. It is incredible.”
The German pointed to the different international calendar available to Brazil, whose friendlies offer opportunities to assess other players and rest those carrying the heaviest club workload. European national sides, he noted, have less room for such matches because of the Nations League. Flick accepted that Barcelona must now manage the consequences through the forward’s minutes.
A demanding month for LaLiga leaders
Barcelona face Getafe on Saturday in the eighth round of LaLiga, with kick-off scheduled for 13:30 Brasília time. Galatasaray arrive on Tuesday for the second matchday of the Champions League at 16:00 Brasília time, another occasion when Flick will be without one of his sharpest attacking figures.
The absence comes before a five-match run in October that includes a Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain on 20 October and the LaLiga meeting with Real Madrid five days later. Barcelona enter that sequence as the clear leaders in Spain, having collected 21 points.
Raphinha’s early-season return has made him one of the outstanding performers not only in Catalonia but across the European game. His 14 goals and three assists in eight matches underline why Barcelona are unwilling to turn a minor warning in his thigh into a longer interruption.
