Barcelona will be without Raphinha for Sunday’s La Liga clash against Oviedo. The 29-year-old, who has been in exceptional form in recent months, sustained a knock during the victory over Racing de Santander three days earlier, leading to the decision not to include him in the traveling squad to Donostia-San Sebastian.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick revealed that Raphinha’s participation was uncertain. The final call on his availability was to be made shortly, and with crucial fixtures on the horizon, the club has opted to rest him for this encounter.
Barcelona have issued a medical statement regarding Raphinha, confirming that his exclusion from the squad facing La Real is purely precautionary. Consequently, he is expected to be available for the midweek Champions League fixture away to Slavia Prague.
“First-team player Raphinha has been left out of the squad for the Real Sociedad match as a precautionary measure due to a knock to his right thigh.”
**Who will step in for Raphinha against La Real?**
For the match against La Real, Barcelona have several options to fill Raphinha’s position. Marcus Rashford appears to be the most likely choice, and it’s anticipated that Flick will hand him the starting role, though Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres, and Roony Bardghji are also in contention to replace him.
Barcelona have typically struggled when Raphinha hasn’t featured, making his absence for this challenging encounter against La Real less than ideal. However, they will be hoping to secure all three points before welcoming the Brazilian international back into the fold for the journey to Prague in the coming days.
