Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed that Rafinha has fully recovered and will be available for the Catalan club’s match against Athletic Bilbao, scheduled for Saturday at the Camp Nou.
The Brazilian star has been sidelined since September due to injury. His rushed return before last month’s El Clásico resulted in a setback that kept him out for an additional month, further compounding Flick’s team’s woes.
The German coach spoke at Friday’s press conference ahead of the Athletic Bilbao match, revealing the status of all Barcelona players.
Regarding Rafinha, Flick stated that he has fully recovered and will be on the bench for the Bilbao game. Goalkeeper Juan Garcia will start against the Basque club.
Meanwhile, Pedri remains sidelined for Barcelona and has not yet recovered from his recent injury. Flick said of him, “I don’t know when Pedri will return. We’re taking it step by step with him and we don’t want to put pressure on him, as that wouldn’t be good. He’s progressing well and we’re happy. He’ll be back sooner than expected. I don’t know if it will be against Chelsea or in the next match.”
When asked about Marcus Rashford, who missed the last two days of Barcelona training, he replied, “He has a fever. There are doubts about his return tomorrow, but I’m very happy about Rafinha’s return.”
Finally, Flick indicated that Yamal is also fully fit for the Barcelona-Bilbao match, and that the 18-year-old is under close medical supervision after undergoing surgery to alleviate groin pain.
Barcelona currently sits second in the La Liga standings with 28 points, and the Bilbao match will be the Catalan club’s first home game at the Camp Nou in two and a half years.
