Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong have recovered from their injuries and could feature in Saturday’s match against Real Betis in Seville.
Flick revealed that both players have returned to training, but the number of minutes they will play will depend on their physical condition. He stressed that the team must carefully manage their workload, with a congested fixture schedule ahead.
“Raphinha says he is ready to start, but we are taking things step by step. We have a lot of matches in a short period, and we need to manage the situation carefully,” Flick said.
The Brazilian forward has scored 14 goals in eight appearances for Barcelona this season. He was available for Brazil during the international break, but an injury ruled him out of Barcelona’s victories over Getafe in La Liga and Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Dutch midfielder De Jong has yet to feature for Barcelona this season due to a knee problem sustained during the World Cup.
“He gives us another option in midfield. He is training well and is ready to play some minutes. He is very focused and a top-level footballer,” the German coach stated.
The return of the two players is expected to ease the attacking burden on Barcelona’s young star, Lamine Yamal, who has played the full 90 minutes in eight of the team’s 10 official matches this season, while being substituted after an hour in the other two.
“He is a special player. We need to manage his minutes, but it is important that he enjoys playing football,” Flick said.
After the clash with Betis, Barcelona face two major challenges: an away trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, followed by the highly anticipated El Clásico against Real Madrid five days later.