Barcelona trio Raphinha, Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal are set to return from injuries for the La Liga clash against Girona after the international break (h/t Diario AS).
Raphinha sustained a hamstring injury in the 3-1 win against Real Oviedo, which kept him out of the games against Real Sociedad, Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla.
Lopez has missed the last four games with a muscle injury. Yamal is recovering swiftly from a groin issue and is on track to return to the fold for Saturday’s league fixture against Girona.
The 18-year-old suffered a relapse of groin injury during the defeat against PSG. He subsequently missed the game against Sevilla and pulled out of the international break.
The Catalan giants are cautious about his recovery, and the objective is for the Spaniard to get a few minutes against Girona before regaining full fitness for the games against Olympiacos and Real Madrid.
However, Dani Olmo has sustained a calf injury on international duty with Spain and will be ruled out for around three weeks.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia continues his recovery from knee surgery and will not make it for El Clasico at the end of the month.
Barca’s injury crisis has partly contributed to their dip in form, with back-to-back disappointing defeats against PSG and Sevilla.
However, Yamal, Raphinha and Lopez will revitalise the attacking options and help Barca get back to their best.
After a spectacular 2024/25 campaign, where he bagged 34 goals and 26 assists, Raphinha has continued his fine run of form this term, with three goals and two assists in six La Liga games.
The Brazilian was a key influence behind Barca’s dominance in all competitions last season and is expected to play a similar role this time.
Yamal’s presence on the right wing will spell more danger to the opponents. The 18-year-old will be looking to stay fit and scale new heights this season.
Lopez will bring greater productivity to the attacking midfield role in Olmo’s absence.
Marcus Rashford, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Roony Bardghji add more depth to Barca’s attack.
