Hi community!
The two players arrive this afternoon and the coach believes they do not have time to recover with guarantees.
Raphinha and Ronald Araujo will not be at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc tomorrow for the match against Osasuna. The two Barça players have done everything possible to return to Barcelona as soon as possible, but they won't be back until this afternoon, and Hansi Flick believes they don't have enough time to recover properly and be able to face the match against the Navarrese team at 100 percent. Therefore, both players are out.
"They won't play or be in the team. They're out. The flight is long and it's not the most optimal situation. They have to train. They have to recover and train, and then we'll see on Sunday. But the team is fantastic, and we have to fight for the three points. When we win and get three more points, that will be the best reaction we can give," explained Flick. Araujo is expected to arrive in Barcelona in the early afternoon, and Raphinha, in the late afternoon.
Furthermore, the Brazilian played the full 90 minutes against Argentina in the early hours of Wednesday morning, in a highly tense match. Araujo, meanwhile, did not play in Uruguay's match against Bolivia. Now, both Barça players will focus on recovering well ahead of Sunday's match against Girona.
The winger's absence is very significant for Barcelona. The Brazilian, in fact, has only missed one game all season. It was in the Catalans' Copa del Rey debut against Barbastro due to minor discomfort. He has also started every game, except for the first leg against Osasuna, when he came onto the pitch with half an hour remaining. This time, he won't even be on the bench against the Navarrese side.
See You soon!