Official: Barcelona confirm Raphinha out for five weeks with hamstring injury | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have been dealt a huge blow as captain and key winger Raphinha will be out for five weeks with a hamstring injury.

The 29-year-old attacker suffered the injury while in action for Brazil in a friendly against France in the USA on Thursday night.

A while ago, Brazil confirmed that the winger had indeed sustained a muscle injury in his right thigh and that he would be flying back to Barcelona to continue his recovery.

Five weeks out

Now, the Catalans have issued a statement confirming the nature of the injury while also revealing that the 29-year-old is set to be sidelined for approximately five weeks.

“Raphinha has suffered an injury to the biceps femoris of his right thigh, as confirmed by the medical tests conducted by the CBF due to the discomfort he noticed during the Brazil-France match,” the statement from Barça read.

“Raphinha returns to Barcelona to begin the appropriate treatment. The approximate recovery time is five weeks.”

Games Raphinha will miss

It means that Raphinha will miss the triple-header against Atletico Madrid after the international break, with Barça set to face the Rojiblancos thrice in ten days – once in La Liga and two times in the Champions League quarterfinals.

In addition, the former Leeds United winger will also be unavailable for the Catalan derby against Espanyol, as well as the league games against Celta Vigo, Getafe, and Osasuna.

He would also be unavailable for the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, provided Barcelona qualify, while his presence could be touch-and-go for the second leg.

With the Clasico set to be played on the weekend of 11 May, Barcelona will be hopeful of having Raphinha back in time for what could be a title-deciding encounter.