Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has revealed that both Raphinha and Marc Casado will be available for Saturday's La Liga clash against Osasuna despite concerns over their fitness.
Neither Raphinha nor Casado trained with the La Liga leaders on Friday, with the pair instead working in the gym, leading to suggestions that they could miss out against Osasuna.
However, during his pre-match press conference, Flick confirmed that Raphinha and Casado were simply recovering ahead of the team's trip to Osasuna.
"It's what we have. We give the players a chance to recover and sometimes it's good not to be on the pitch, you have to follow the best treatment. Stay inside when they're not playing," he told reporters.
Raphinha has been a vital player for Barcelona this season, scoring five goals and registering three assists in eight appearances in all competitions.
© Imago
Raphinha, Casado will be available against Osasuna
Meanwhile, Casado has benefitted from midfield absences to make six appearances this season, and the Spaniard has come up with two assists during a strong start.
Flick also provided positive updates on long-term absentees Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, with the latter now closing in on a return following a troublesome ankle issue.
"I liked what I saw in training. Also Gavi is recovering well, he's in a good moment. In the case of Frenkie, he is close to being recovered to help us. It's good to see him. I think he takes a day off tomorrow. He has trained a lot and he needs time to recover," said the manager.
"The problem for him is not the normal week, he is an experienced player, he can help me even if he plays 20 minutes, but we have to see how he evolves. We'll see next week."
© Imago
Which other Barcelona players are currently injured?
Barcelona's record of seven wins from seven La Liga matches this season is even more remarkable considering their injury problems, with a number of players currently unavailable.
Dani Olmo remains on the treatment table with a hamstring issue, while Ronald Araujo will not be back until the latter stages of this year following a hamstring operation.
Andreas Christensen is still missing with an Achilles problem, while Marc Bernal will miss the remainder of the season due to the ACL injury that he suffered in the early stages of the campaign.
Fermin Lopez is also out with a thigh issue, while Barcelona have been hit with the news that their number one goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss the rest of the season with the serious knee injury that he suffered during the clash with Villarreal on September 22.
Matt Law
