Barcelona confirm Marcus Rashford absence for Athletic Club clash | OneFootball

Barcelona are gearing up for their first match at the Spotify Camp Nou in almost 30 months, as they host Athletic Club on Saturday afternoon. However, they will be without the services of Marcus Rashford for the La Liga clash, with the on-loan Manchester United winger having failed to recover from illness in time to be involved.

Rashford missed training sessions on Thursday and Friday, which threw his involvement into doubt. Hansi Flick confirmed that the Englishman has been suffering with flu, so it was a race against time for him to recover, as he sought to be available to face Athletic.

However, he has failed to do so, with Barcelona confirming that Rashford “will miss today’s match against Athletic Club due to flu”. He will now have three days to get back to good health before Tuesday’s Champions League showdown against Chelsea.

Barcelona confirm Joan Garcia, Raphinha returns

In better news, Barcelona have confirmed that first-choice goalkeeper Joan Garcia and Raphinha are back, with both players having been out for almost two months. They have each been named in Flick’s matchday squad for the Athletic clash, with the same also being said for Marc Casado, who missed the victory over Celta Vigo two weeks ago.

Image via Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Raphinha’s return comes as a welcome time given Rashford’s absence, although it is unlikely that he will start against Athletic. The likelihood is that Ferran Torres will occupy the left wing, with the Brazil international being brought on in the second half for valuable minutes, as he seeks to work his way back to full fitness.

Optimism is high at Barcelona these days, largely due to the long-awaited Spotify Camp Nou return. Flick’s side will fancy their chances of marking the occasion with a victory, one that would see them go level on points with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.