Barcelona gets Joan García back and loses Raphinha ahead of Getafe clash

The international break almost never brings good news, and this time was no exception for Hansi Flick. The German coach arrives at the Getafe matchup with a medical report that's all over the place: he loses his top scorer, but gets his starting goalkeeper back. Enough to make your head spin.

The toughest blow is losing Raphinha. The Brazilian suffered an edema while playing a friendly for his national team, and although Flick has tried to downplay the situation, the reality is that the winger will miss several important matches. He won't be available against Getafe, nor will he travel to Istanbul to face Galatasaray next Tuesday in the Champions League.

Flick was direct when discussing his forward's injury:

It's not seriousHansi Flick

Even so, the coaching staff is being cautious: Raphinha wouldn't be available again until Saturday against Real Betis at La Cartuja. And that's where another name comes in that has Barcelona fans excited.

De Jong getting closer

Frenkie de Jong is on track to return that same day. The Dutchman has been dealing with a knee injury from the World Cup that, according to tests, turned out to be more serious than it initially appeared. The good news is that he's already training normally with the rest of the squad, and Flick says he's looked good, with no discomfort. Still, patience will be needed: the midfielder will need at least a couple more matches before fully leaving the treatment room behind. Not bad for someone about to start his eighth season wearing the Barcelona jersey.

Joan García is ready

One player coming off the injury list is Joan García. The goalkeeper hurt his right knee in the rout against Racing, a bone edema that forced him off the field mid-match (he was substituted at halftime) and also kept him from joining up with the Spanish national team. Three weeks later, the recovery timeline has played out as expected, and Flick already confirmed it in his pre-match comments: García will be ready to start against Getafe.

Not everything is good news on the injury front. Andreas Christensen remains out after getting hurt in Sevilla, right after setting up Raphinha's first goal of that match. The Dane had been responding well and Flick was giving him regular minutes, but muscle issues cropped up again: the club confirmed an injury to the rectus femoris in his left quadriceps, without specifying a timeline, though everything points to him missing a good chunk of October.

The most delicate case, however, is that of Roony Bardghji. The young winger suffered a torn ACL during preseason and isn't expected to be available to Flick again until the final stretch of the season.