FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick provided some great news for his club and their supporters today. Both Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong are set to return to action this weekend. The Brazilian forward, probably the team’s best player not named Lamine Yamal, injured his hamstring while on international duty with Brazil this past FIFA window.
The last time he featured for Barcelona was before the internationals.
FC Barcelona at Real Betis FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Oct 17, 6:30 CET, El Estadio La Cartuja, Sevilla, Andalusia, Espana
La Liga Standing, Form: Real Betis 3rd 19 pts, WWWDW FC Barcelona 1st, 24 pts, WWWWW
Google Result Probability: Real Betis win 15% Draw 16% FC Barcelona win 69%
Flick made it clear that he would limit the playing time of Raphinha tomorrow, however, as El Clasico is only nine days away. And a huge Champions League match, at Paris Saint-Germain (a matchup of the top two teams in the UCL table), is only four days away.
“When you ask him, he will be ready from the beginning,” Flick said at his news conference earlier today, in response to a query on whether or not Raphinha was ready for a starting assigment at Betis.
“For me, it’s step by step. (Yesterday) he trained; he’s doing good. We have a lot of games, so we have to manage it. The good thing is that he’s available.”
Moving on to De Jong, he’s set to make his season debut on Saturday, having recovered from a substantial knee injury. He’s been steadily moving closer towards a return in the past couple weeks.
“Frenkie’s also available,” Flick revealed.
“Everyone knows he is a top player. I am happy he is back. It gives us another option more.
“We have to see how it works, the evolution after the injury. It seems everything is good; the training and the quality is good. I think he’s ready to play some minutes.”
Barca are top of the league table by five points, and the only reason they’re not also leading the UCL standings is that they’re behind Paris Saint-Germain on the third tie-breaker.
And things are only looking better with Raphinha and De Jong coming back into the fold. It means that Flick is only two players (Andreas Christensen and Roony Bardghji) away from a fully fit squad.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.