Barcelona receive mixed fitness update ahead of Girona game – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are coming off a crushing loss against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, but the football calendar does not wait for wounds to heal. In less than a day’s time, the club take a cross-city trip to face Girona.

Against Atletico, Barcelona were without both their left-wing options, Marcus Rashford and Raphinha. The former had suffered a blow to his knee in the game against Mallorca, while the latter missed out due to discomfort.

Now, as per Mundo Deportivo, the club have a mixed fitness update on this front. Raphinha is back in training and has taken part in partial sessions for two consecutive days. Rashford, on the other hand, is almost certainly ruled out.

Rashford is still feeling the effects of the blow to his knee and, considering his explosive playstyle, Barcelona need to wait for him to recover completely before he can take part in full training sessions. Thus, the Girona game appears to come too soon.

Raphinha, on the other hand, could find himself in the squad against Girona. He is unlikely to be risked as a starter, but giving him some minutes off the bench and rebuilding his fitness could be crucial for Hansi Flick in the coming weeks.

Barcelona have a second leg against Atletico Madrid on 4 March, which is a few weeks away. Although a 4-0 deficit looks daunting, the team need to give their all to try to put Simeone’s side on the ropes, and that cannot happen without the likes of Raphinha and Rashford.

Flick will be hoping that the duo reach full fitness and maintain it for the foreseeable future. The return of Pedri should also happen sooner rather than later, and let us wait and see how things play out.