Joan García and Raphinha have both been ruled out, further hurting Barcelona’s preparations for a crucial run of games.
García sustained an injury during training, and Barcelona stated Friday morning that he will have surgery on Saturday by Dr. Joan Carles Monllau, the same surgeon who operated on Gavi earlier this year. It is anticipated that the 23-year-old goalie would miss four to six weeks of action.
Medical examinations revealed that Raphinha had sustained a hamstring injury in his right leg just hours before to that declaration. According to Barcelona, the Brazilian forward will miss roughly three weeks of action.
For Hansi Flick, who will now be missing two important starters during a crucial period, the news comes at the worst possible moment. Both players will undoubtedly miss Sunday’s La Liga match against Real Sociedad, as well as the league matchup with Sevilla and the Champions League matchup with Paris Saint-Germain.
Flick does have some positive news, though. Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal put in a full day of training on Friday and should be ready for the weekend. Their return gives a squad that was suddenly overworked much-needed depth.
Wojciech Szczęsny will return to goal in García’s place. The Polish international is tasked to keep the defense firm after proving himself with multiple strong performances last season. Marcus Rashford, an English attacker who is currently having a great run of form, is predicted to cover for Raphinha up front.
