Barcelona beat Girona 4-1 on Sunday in La Liga to stay three points clear at the top of the table in Spain.
Hansi Flick raised a few eyebrows with his starting selection as Raphinha was on the bench despite also missing the game against Osasuna after coming back from Brazil.
Barcelona’s boss was asked about his decision before kick-off:
“He had some intense matches this week and arrived on Thursday, so we’ll give him the time he needs. He might get minutes in the second half to prepare for the next match,” he told the media.
“We need fresh legs, but we also know it’s a difficult match and that we have another tough one coming up. We believe in all the players, and they’re ready.”
Raphinha ended up staying on the bench for the whole 90 minutes as Barca eased to victory in the Catalan derby. The Brazilian should therefore be fresh and raring to go next time out when Barca take on Atletico in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg.