Raphinha was omitted from Barcelona’s starting lineup to face Girona due to _“discomfort”_, Hansi Flick revealed after Sunday’s _Derbi Català_ at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
The Brazilian forward, who is considered amongst the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, has been crucial to Barça’s success this season but watch on from the bench at Montjuïc as the _Blaugrana_ hosted their second game in the space of three days.
_“Raphinha didn’t play due to discomfort,”_ Flick revealed to the media post-match.
_“He was honest and told me he wasn’t fully recovered,”_ the 60-year-old explained. Flick will be pleased by the Brazilian’s honesty, after [urging players to be open about their fitness levels in a press conference](https://fromthespot.co.uk/17939/theyre-responsible-hansi-flick-issues-players-with-stark-warning-ahead-as-barca-prepare-for-congested-end-to-the-season/) earlier this week.
Despite the absence of the former Leeds United man, [Barça cruised to a comfortable 4-1 win over their Catalan rivals](https://fromthespot.co.uk/17983/barcelona-4-1-girona-lewandowski-scores-twice-in-el-derbi-catala-as-barca-stay-three-points-clear-in-laliga/) and retained their three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga table.
Fans will be hoping that the 28-year-old is back to full fitness in time for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Atlético Madrid, which is currently poised at 4-4.