Hansi Flick boosted by Raphinha, de Jong’s return to fitness

Hansi Flick looks forward to welcoming Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong back to the squad before PSG and Real Madrid fixtures | Photo Credit: AP

FC Barcelona (FCB) has started the season perfectly, winning all of its La Liga and UEFA Champions League matches, having scored at least two goals in each game.

With a strong squad from the previous season and summer signings such as Anthony Gordon, Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and Karim Adeyemi among others hitting the ground running, Barca are in great form.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, in his pre-match press conference, has announced that midfield star Frenkie de Jong and arguably its best player last season, Raphinha, could be back in contention for the match against Real Betis on Saturday.

“If you ask him, he’ll tell you he’s ready to start, but we’re taking things step by step. We have a lot of games in a short space of time, and we need to manage that,” Flick told reporters about Raphinha, who has scored 14 goals in eight outings for FCB this term.

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Both FCB stars, albeit star performers, are quite injury-prone for the last two seasons. Since the start of the 2025/26 season, Raphinha has missed 29 games for Brazil and Barcelona, while de Jong has missed 26 games for the Netherlands and Barca.

Raphinha picked up a knock during the international break and has missed the last two games for FCB, while de Jong has not yet featured for the team with an injury he picked up during the World Cup.

“He gives us another option in midfield, and we’ll see how he progresses. He’s training well and is ready to get some minutes. He looks very focused, and he’s a top player.” Flick said on de Jong.

The addition of both players would be a relief to the starboy, Lamine Yamal, who has taken most of the creative burden for the team while Raphinha has been out.

“He’s a special player. We have to manage his minutes, but the important thing is that he enjoys playing. That’s how things are at the moment, and I don’t want to interrupt that.” Flick said about Yamal.

After the match in Seville on the weekend, Barcelona has two important games coming up in the form of a Champions League away fixture against Paris Saint-Germain and then a home El Clasico aginst Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid.