Barcelona will be missing Raphinha for their upcoming Champions League match against Atlético Madrid as the forward is sidelined for five weeks due to a hamstring injury.
The 29-year-old Raphinha picked up the injury during the first half of Brazil‘s 2-1 friendly loss to France at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Thursday.
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Following his substitution at halftime, tests conducted by the Brazilian medical staff on Friday confirmed the right hamstring injury.
Raphinha will return to Barcelona for rehabilitation but will not play again until May, missing several important matches for his team.
Barcelona will take on Atlético three times in the coming weeks, starting with a match at the Metropolitano next Saturday as they aim to maintain their four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga.
After their league clash, they will face Atlético in the Champions League quarterfinals, with the first leg set for Spotify Camp Nou on April 8 and the second leg in Madrid on April 14.
Should Barça advance, they would host either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the semifinal’s first leg at the end of April, with the return leg scheduled for early May, where Raphinha is also likely to be unavailable.
This marks the third hamstring injury for Raphinha this season, who has scored 19 goals in 31 games. He missed 13 matches for club and country between September and November and an additional three matches in January and February.
Marcus Rashford may have an opportunity to step in for Raphinha, likely taking his place on the left side of the attack, although coach Hansi Flick has several other options as well.
Other players such as Dani Olmo, Fermín López, and Ferran Torres have also played in wide positions previously, while João Cancelo and Roony Bardghji are potential candidates as well.