Barcelona XI vs. Girona: Raphinha, Rashford Verdict Reached—Injury News, Predicted Lineup

Barcelona were without their top two left wingers in the midweek defeat to Atlético Madrid.

Raphinha (left) and Marcus Rashford are dealing with fitness issues. | Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images

Still licking their wounds after a nightmare night in Spain’s capital, Barcelona are back in action on Monday when they visit Catalan neighbors Girona looking to keep up the pace in the La Liga title race.

Barcelona were demolished by Atlético Madrid 4–0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. It was the worst defeat of the Hansi Flick era, and Barça have a mountain to climb if they want to repeat as champions of the competition.

But focus now turns to La Liga, as Barcelona must continue their strong run of results to keep the lead in the standings, with Real Madrid momentarily surpassing the Blaugranas after their win over Real Sociedad. Anything but three points in the visit to Girona will be a failure, especially with Flick’s men needing to respond following their midweek loss.

Girona have been on the rise as of late, escaping the relegation zone in recent weeks. Still, Michel’s side remain riddled by injuries and Barcelona have the overwhelming edge in quality.

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Match Snapshot

• 🕒 Kick-off time: 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. GMT
• 📍 Location: Estadio Municipal de Montilivi
• 🏆 Competition: La Liga
• 📊 Recent form: LWWWW

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Team News

Pedri was significantly missed in the defeat to Alético. | Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

• ⚠️ Key injuries, absentees, doubts: Pedri, Gavi, Andreas Christensen, Marcus Rashford, Raphinha
• 🔢 Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1

Both Raphinha and Marcus Rashford missed the trip to Madrid midweek, compromising Barça’s attack. Although their respective injuries are reported to be minor, the Englishman still hasn’t trained with the team and is a huge doubt for the game in Girona.

Raphinha, meanwhile, returned to training on Saturday and could be included in the traveling squad. Yet, it might be a tad too early to envision him entering the starting lineup.

Pedri is still some weeks away from returning from a hamstring injury. His absence was glaring in the defeat to Atléti, with Marc Casadó failing to offer any solutions in midfield and getting hooked inside 40 minutes.

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Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Girona (4-2-3-1)

Marc Bernal could enter the XI. | FotMob

GK: Joan García—After a stellar start to 2026, García has been quite poor in recent games and his struggles reached their peak with an egregious mistake that kickstarted Barça’s midweek humiliation.

RB: Jules Koundé—The Frenchman’s drop in form this season has been a major issue. Still, he was one of the few that put up a respectable showing at the Metropolitano.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—Cubarsí’s subpar physicality has been exploited by opponents all season. The exciting teenager must find solutions or Ronald Araújo could start to get more opportunities.

CB: Eric García—García is coming off his worst performance of the term but remains one of Flick’s most trusted players. Despite his red card against Atléti, the suspension doesn’t carry over to La Liga and he’ll start next to Cubarsí.

LB: Alejandro Balde—The space Balde leaves in behind has been an avenue for opponents to create danger. The La Masia graduate must improve his awareness or he’ll continue to get exposed.

DM: Frenkie de Jong—De Jong had no answers to contain Atléti’s onslaught midweek. Barça’s captain will be eager to control the game from midfield, balancing a side that looked completely broken last Thursday.

DM: Marc Bernal—The teenager isn’t only a skilled distributor with great technique—he also offers physicality in midfield, something Barcelona desperately need. After impressive recent cameos and fully recovered from his ACL injury, Bernal could make his second league start of the term.

RW: Lamine Yamal—Barcelona’s electrifying playmaker was nowheres to be found at the Metropolitano. His streak of scoring in five consecutive games came to an end, so the teenager will look to start a new one on Monday.

CM: Fermín López—López’s energy, intensity and hyperactive nature could be crucial against a makeshift Girona midfield. His productivity has somewhat dropped in recent outings, but he could thrive against a team that offer spaces.

LW: Dani Olmo—Olmo will start on the left with the freedom to drift centrally, interchanging positions with López and Ferran whilst allowing Balde to provide width and depth with constant overlaps. Raphinha could make his return from injury in the second half.

ST: Ferran Torres—Torres will lead the line as Flick aims to make Barcelona’s attack more fluid, targeting Daley Blind’s aging legs, a strategy the team tried in the reverse fixture but youngster Toni Fernández couldn’t make a significant impact.

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