Boost for Barcelona as key duo return to group training; La Masia gem absent due to overload | OneFootball

FC Barcelona received a timely lift during their training camp at St. George’s Park as Raphinha and Alejandro Balde both returned to group activities ahead of the club’s latest pre-season fixture, reports SPORT.

The Brazilian winger took part in part of Thursday morning’s session, while Balde completed the full workout after overcoming recent back discomfort.

It was the Blaugrana’s fifth training session in England and the penultimate one before facing Birmingham City. The squad will return to the Bobby Charlton pitches later in the day for a second training session.

Raphinha begins pre-season carefully

Raphinha has officially started preparations for what will be his fifth season as a Barcelona player.

After enjoying a well-earned summer break, the Brazilian joined the camp on Wednesday. He is easing his way back into full training following a difficult spell with injuries that affected both his club and international campaigns.

Back in training. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

His aim is to rediscover the form that made him one of Barcelona’s standout performers during the 2024/25 season under Hansi Flick, when he emerged as a genuine Ballon d’Or contender.

The winger’s World Cup campaign with Brazil came to an early end. Raphinha featured in the opening two group-stage matches before suffering a thigh injury against Haiti.

Although he was included in the squad for Brazil’s last-16 clash with Norway, he was unable to make an appearance as the Selecao were eliminated.

Barcelona are therefore taking a cautious approach to his return, prioritising his long-term fitness over immediate match involvement.

As such, he is not expected to feature against Birmingham City, while a return for Monday’s friendly against Preston North End remains a possibility.

Balde completes full session

Meanwhile, Balde also provided encouraging news by completing the entire training session.

Back in group training. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The left-back has recovered from the minor back problem that had limited his workload in recent days, forcing him to train individually. Now, the La Masia product is back working normally with the squad.

Despite his progress, Barcelona are also expected to leave him out of the Birmingham friendly as the coaching staff continue to manage his fitness carefully.

Tommy Marques a doubt

The only player absent from Thursday morning’s session, aside from long-term absentee Frenkie de Jong, was Tommy Marques.

The La Masia midfielder missed training because of muscle overload and is considered doubtful ahead of the upcoming friendly.

With pre-season entering a crucial stage, Hansi Flick continues to his players’ build fitness, integrate young prospects and fine-tune his squad as Barcelona prepare for the start of the 2026-27 campaign.