Raphinha Injury: The Barcelona Games Hansi Flick’s Star Man Will Miss

Hansi Flick has confirmed that Barcelona will be without the most in-form player on the planet for at least the next two matches.

Raphinha flagged an issue in his right thigh during Brazil’s draining tour of Australia last month. The prolific forward withdrew from the camp before even making it to the Indian leg of the team’s continent hopping, sparking fears as to how Barcelona would be able to replace a player with 14 goals in eight club games already this term.

Flick allayed concerns over the severity of Raphinha’s issue. “The picture [scan] showed something, but it’s not a big injury,” he assured assembled reporters at Friday’s press conference. “He is doing well, has no pain and can do everything.”

However, precaution would have to be exercised. “He needs a bit more time,” Flick added. “It’s something we have to take care of because last season he had three injuries there.”

That sense of concern has taken the form of Raphinha’s immediate benching.

The Two Games Raphinha Is Guaranteed to Miss

Galatasaray fans putting on a show. — Galatasaray fans always put on a show. | Elif Ozturk/Anadolu/Getty Images

Flick will be without La Liga’s leading scorer for two games of differing difficulty; a league clash with Getafe and a daunting trip to Türkiye to take on Galatasaray.

Getafe head to Camp Nou on Saturday with a woeful record and other priorities perhaps on their mind. The Madrid club have never beaten the Catalan giants at their spiritual home since first heading to the venue in 2005 (19 defeats, four draws). Getafe have only spent 70 combined minutes leading Barcelona across 34 and a half hours of soccer at Camp Nou (3.4%).

José Bordalas’s battlers, who tend to give every other club in the division a bloody nose aside from Barcelona, also have the added distraction of their first UEFA Conference League league phase tie on the following Thursday.

Barça are also in European action next week and Raphinha will have to sit out the club’s descent into the bear pit of Galatasaray’s RAMS Park. The defending Turkish champions have lost just one home match across all competitions in the last 11 months, fending off the likes of Atlético Madrid, Juventus and Liverpool during that run of riotous form.

The absence of Raphinha, Flick’s self-appointed captain, for such a daunting fixture will test the skills of Barcelona’s remaining leaders, including 19-year-old Lamine Yamal.

It remains to be seen if Raphinha will be back for the following weekend’s trip to Real Betis. There is a flurry of key games on the horizon, including a Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain (Oct. 20) and the first Clásico of the season against Real Madrid (Oct. 25).

Flick Reveals How Barcelona Will Replace Raphinha

Gabriel Jesus and Raphinha crossing paths. — Gabriel Jesus and Raphinha could be trading places. | David Ramos/Getty Images

Flick clearly doesn’t value the element of surprise. After letting Getafe and Galatasaray know that they wouldn’t have to deal with the unique threat posed by Raphinha, Barcelona’s manager revealed that “the idea” was for Gabriel Jesus to take the place of his compatriot.

The former Arsenal striker made a hurried move to Catalonia at the end of the summer transfer window once Barça belatedly accepted that Julián Alvarez could not be pried away from Atlético Madrid. Jesus has been limited to four substitute appearances at this early stage of his career at Camp Nou, but the two goals he has managed to score in that time has convinced Flick of his qualities.

“He has improved a lot and adapted to our style and how we want to play,” Flick said of the new recruit. “Gabriel has trained really well the last few weeks, and we are very happy with him.”

Despite his scoring start, Jesus’s main task as Raphinha’s stand-in will be applying Flick’s feverish high press. “As captain, he goes and everyone follows,” the manager has gushed when reviewing Raphinha’s performances. “We always start with the No. 9 and he has that incredible hunger and intensity, the mentality and attitude we need.” Replicating that energy will be Jesus’s biggest challenge.

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