Barcelona’s Record With and Without Raphinha Spells Trouble for Title Ambitions

Barça are set to suffer in the Brazilian’s absence after the international break.

Raphinha is poised for a five-week injury layoff. | Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Barcelona’s appointment of Hansi Flick proved to be the making of Raphinha, who considered leaving the club at the end of Xavi Hernández’s tumultuous reign in charge.

Barça, too, thought about giving on the former Leeds United star, who was yet to capture hearts and minds in Catalonia. The Blaugrana fantasized over pairing Athletic Club’s Nico Williams with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal after the pair thrived in tandem for Spain at Euro 2024.

But Williams’s supposed insistence on an ’exit clause’ meant the deal didn’t go through, with the Basque forward instead signing a new deal in Bilbao. As a result, Flick was tasked with maximizing the disgruntled Brazilian struggling for self-belief.

It’s fair to say the German has done a pretty good job. Raphinha is not merely an output machine for a mightily successful team, but seemingly a player Flick’s high-risk framework can’t function without. That’s why news of a potential five-week injury absence at a critical point in the 2025–26 season hurts so much.

Barcelona simply aren’t the same team without their opportunistic tone-setter in attack, and the stats prove it.

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How Barcelona’s Record Compares With and Without Raphinha This Season

Raphinha will miss the entirety of April. | Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Statistic (La Liga, Champions League)	With Raphinha	Without Raphinha
Games	27	12
Wins	23	7
Draws	2	1
Losses	2	4
Win Percentage	85.2%	58.3%
Goals Scored (per game)	76 (2.8)	32 (2.7)
Goals Conceded (per game)	23 (0.9)	22 (1.8)

Raphinha hasn’t been quite as productive as he was last season, when he notched a staggering 60 goal contributions in 57 games across all competitions.

His workload during Flick’s debut campaign has perhaps contributed to his fitness issues this term, with Raphinha missing a total of 12 La Liga and Champions League games by the time he was struck down on international duty, mainly because of a hamstring injury he sustained in the autumn.

Without Raphinha, Barcelona’s win percentage in those competitions drops from 85.2% in games he’s featured in to 58.3%. With him, Barça have won 23 out of 27 games, losing just twice. In one of those defeats, away at Chelsea, Raphinha only played the final 28 minutes when the contest had already been decided. In the other, the Brazilian was withdrawn from proceedings just after Girona equalized.

Raphinha has recorded 27 goal contributions this season and has thrived in a setup that aims to take advantage of his stellar ability to break in behind defenses. It’s no surprise that Barça, on average, score 0.24 fewer goals per game when he’s not in the team. Yet the difference is even more pronounced defensively.

The 29-year-old is absolutely pivotal to what Flick’s side want to achieve out of possession thanks to his relentless work ethic. Without him, Barcelona’s pressing falters and their aggressive defensive line is more frequently exposed.

It’s also worth mentioning that Raphinha didn’t feature in the 4–0 drubbing at the hands of Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal, but returned in time for the return leg. The Brazilian scored in a 3–0 victory, with these two games neatly depicting the extent of Raphinha’s influence.

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Massive Opportunity for Barcelona Transfer Hopeful

Rashford must step up for the La Liga leaders. | Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Flick is reportedly “furious” over Raphinha’s latest hamstring injury, which he sustained during Brazil’s 2–1 friendly defeat to France.

Raphinha’s importance to the German’s side means his absence at this stage of the season could prove fatal, with Barça boasting a four-point lead at the top of La Liga and reaching the Champions League quarterfinals.

The Brazilian is set to miss both ties against Atléti, and as many as six games in total. In his absence, Flick will most likely lean on loanee Marcus Rashford.

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Barcelona Games Raphinha Will Miss

Date	Fixture	Competition
April 4, 2026	Atlético Madrid (A)	La Liga
April 8, 2026	Atlético Madrid (H)	Champions League
April 11, 2026	Espanyol (H)	La Liga
April 15, 2026	Atlético Madrid (A)	Champions League
April 22, 2026	Celta Vigo (H)	La Liga
April 26, 2026	Getafe (A)	La Liga

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The explosive English winger has found a new lease of life in Spain after his Premier League career sharply deteriorated, and Rashford now has a huge opportunity to convince Barça to buy him permanently this summer. The financially stricken Blaugrana are currently hesitant.

Rashford has been good on loan so far. While he can’t replicate what Raphinha offers this Barça side in all phases, especially defensively, he’s a sharp-shooting wide player who provides an alternate threat to the direct Brazilian.

Flick recently declared Rashford as fully fit after a few fitness issues, and the Barça boss desperately needs a vintage run of form from the England international, who has 20 goal contributions in 39 games for the club.

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