Barcelona forward Raphinha has revealed that he hasn’t recovered completely from the injury ahead of Thursday’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid.
The 29-year-old has missed the last two games against Albacete and Mallorca due to an adductor strain.
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“I’m feeling better, we’re taking it day by day. We’ll see if I’m ready for Thursday, but we’ll wait and see. There are options, but we all know how injuries are,” said Raphinha (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
“I can’t lie to you, I’d love to say I can play on Thursday, but I’m a bit short on fitness.”
It has been an injury-hit season for the Brazilian winger, who earlier missed nearly two months of action with a hamstring issue.
Nevertheless, he has remained an influential figure for the Catalan giants, bagging 13 goals and five assists in 22 games.
Raphinha further solidified his reputation as a big-match player after scoring a brace in both the Spanish Super Cup semi-final and final against Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid to lead Barca to the title.
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Manager Hansi Flick also vented his frustration about the Brazilian’s injury setback during the decisive phase of the season.
The German manager values Raphinha as the linchpin in the attack due to his defensive work rate, high pressing and leadership qualities apart from his productivity.
If he fails to make it to the squad against Atletico, his absence will be a setback for the Catalan giants.
However, Barcelona still have a quality attacking unit that has thrived even without the Brazilian in recent games.
The onus will be on Lamine Yamal to spearhead Barca’s attack. He has been in sublime form after scoring in the last five consecutive games.
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Marcus Rashford will likely retain his place on the left wing, and his impressive consistency has been pivotal to Barca this season.
Strikers Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski have consistently delivered goods. They have combinedly scored 29 goals for Barca this term.
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