Catalan media reported that Raphinha has suffered another setback, ruling him out of even being on the bench for Barcelona’s match against Real Madrid next Sunday.
The Brazilian international suffered a muscle injury that he was expected to recover from after the international break. However, he suffered a setback and missed the matches against Girona and Olympiacos. The medical staff worked to prepare him for El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Raphinha participated in Barcelona’s training session on Wednesday partially, then on Thursday. According to Sport, he suffered discomfort that prevented him from completing the session.
Raphinha was unable to train with Barcelona on Friday, making it almost certain he will miss El Clásico, and his return to action will be delayed for another week, if not longer.
There is a glimmer of hope that the 27-year-old’s condition will improve in the coming hours and he will participate, even partially, in Saturday’s training session. He could then be included in the squad and placed on the bench. However, journalist Gerard Romero, who is close to Barcelona, confirms that the player’s condition is very poor, and the club will likely not risk him to prevent the injury from worsening.
It should be noted that Jules Kounde was unable to participate in Barcelona’s training sessions on Thursday and Friday, and there are also significant doubts that he will be available for El Clásico.
Barcelona faces several absences for El Clásico, in addition to Raphinha and Kounde. First-choice goalkeeper Juan Garcia will miss the game, as will Dani Olmo, Robert Lewandowski, and Gavi due to various injuries.
