Raphinha has not featured for club or country in a month
Barcelona have been dealt a major blow after Raphinha missed training ahead of the El Clasico showdown against Real Madrid.
Raphinha has not featured for Barcelona since being substituted in the second half of the 3-1 La Liga win over Real Oviedo at the end of September.
It was later confirmed that the Brazilian would be out of action for up to three weeks, missing key games against Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla as well as his national team’s two fixtures during the break.
A Barcelona statement read: “Raphinha has suffered a hamstring injury, specifically to the middle third of the biceps femoris in his right thigh.
“He is expected to be sidelined for around three weeks.”
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick was pressed for an update on Raphinha in his pre-Girona press conference last week and was very optimistic about the winger’s chances of returning against Real Madrid.
“We expect Raphinha to be available for El Clasico against Real Madrid — he’s on the right track,” Flick revealed.
Big blow: Raphinha
However, according to reports in Spain, Raphinha will play no part at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday after suffering a setback in training ahead of the big fixture.
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Spanish journalist, Gerard Romero has revealed that the Brazilian “had bad feelings” at the end of training on Thursday and couldn't complete the session. In addition, he did not participate with the group on Friday.
Raphinha’s absence is likely to mean on-loan Manchester United star Marcus Rashford keeps his place on the left-hand side of Barcelona’s attack.
The England international warmed up for what will be his first taste of an El Clasico, should he feature, by scoring twice as Barca thumped Olympiacos 6-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.