Barcelona captain set to miss Getafe clash, likely to return against Galatasaray
· Yahoo Sports
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Barcelona have got past the international break without suffering any significant casualties, and the only major worry was the situation of Raphinha who left his national team setup early with a reported injury.
The Brazilian star immediately returned to Catalonia where he underwent all required tests, and the reports confirmed a mild knock with a relatively short recovery period.
Initially, the player was even expected to be fit for Barcelona’s first game after the international break against Getafe, but it now appears that the club are pushing back his return from injury.
Training individually
As reported by Sergio Capdevila in a recent update, Barcelona’s captain trained away from the group in today’s training session and worked individually. Needless to say, that is a sign that his situation is still being handled with caution.
Raphinha was injured on international duty. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
The report furthers that Raphinha is unlikely to feature against Getafe this weekend, likely out of precaution.
After all, the same update does confirm that the player is expected to face Galatasaray midweek in the UEFA Champions League.
While it will be a big blow for Flick to not have the Brazilian star in the grueling clash against Getafe, Barcelona have the required attacking firepower to grind out a win regardless.
Hansi Flick is learning from his mistake
Last season, Raphinha faced a very similar injury during international duty, and the concern was waived off given the important games in Barcelona’s schedule and the player’s relatively positive sensations.
Flick has learnt from his mistake. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Hansi Flick, thus, backed the player to come back from his injury earlier than expected and fielded him for a game in which the player aggravated his blow and eventually missed over a month of action.
Having already seen a similar situation turn sour last season, Hansi Flick’s idea to hand Raphinha extra rest suggests that he is directly learning from the mistake he made last season.
After all, the Brazilian star is central to Barcelona’s plans this season and is one of, if not the most in-form player on the planet. Surviving one game sans-him is a far more appealing option than losing his services to an untoward aggravation.