Raphinha injured, will miss Getafe and Galatasaray

Raphinha will be missing for both the Getafe match and the trip to Istanbul to face Galatasaray. Hansi Flick confirmed it himself at a press conference, and the news lands like a bucket of cold water at the exact moment the Brazilian had emerged as the most decisive player of Barcelona's start to the season.

The forward returned from the FIFA international break with a hamstring issue after the friendly in which Brazil beat Australia 4-2. It doesn't sound serious, but the Catalan club already knows this script all too well: Raphinha dealt with similar muscle problems last season, and nobody wants a repeat of that story.

"The scan showed something," Flick confirmed ahead of Saturday's match against Getafe at Spotify Camp Nou.

It's not a big injury, but we have to take care of this. Last season I think he had three injuries like this, so we're being careful. He's not available tomorrow or in Istanbul against Galatasaray.Hansi Flick

To put what's at stake into perspective: Raphinha has 14 goals in eight matches this season, staggering numbers for a player who isn't even playing in his usual position. Flick turned him into a central striker following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, and the Brazilian has responded with a goalscoring form nobody saw coming at this stage.

Last season, when Raphinha missed 25 matches between club and country due to this same type of injury, Barca clearly felt a drop in intensity. It was enough that sporting director Deco himself acknowledged that one of the reasons for signing Antony in the summer was precisely to have cover for that flank. Flick, for his part, doesn't want to make too much of it.

"What I saw today in training, I saw a lot of very good things, a lot of quality," the German coach explained when asked about the impact of the absence. "Also in the pressing we worked very well. This is our standard, our mentality, I think the other players can do it."

Gabriel Jesus's opportunity

Raphinha's absence opens the door for Gabriel Jesus, the summer signing from Arsenal, who until now had only picked up minutes off the bench, with two goals in four appearances. Everything points to him starting against Getafe.

"This is the idea," Flick confirmed. "He's improved a lot here, he's adapted to our style, to how we want to play. His strength is in the box. During these three weeks of the break he trained well. I liked what I saw. He's ready."

There was more news at the press conference: Joan Garcia has recovered and is ready to return between the posts, and Frenkie de Jong, who has yet to make his debut this season, is getting closer to a return, though he too will miss both the Getafe match and Tuesday's Champions League game. "The evolution is good," Flick said of the Dutchman. "He has no pain, he can do everything, but he needs a bit more time." The plan is for him to be available for the trip to Betis next Saturday.

Barcelona arrives at this stretch with a perfect record: eight wins from eight so far this season across all competitions, seven in LaLiga and one in the Champions League. But October is shaping up to be demanding, with Galatasaray, Betis and PSG on the schedule before the Clasico against Real Madrid at Camp Nou on October 25. Flick, true to form, prefers not to look that far ahead: "The next match is always the most important one, nothing more. Getafe is not an easy match. They defend well, they had huge success last season qualifying for the Conference League. We know how they play. It's never easy. For us, the focus is on Getafe."