Barcelona dealt blow as star man ruled out for a month after picking up injury in Supercopa win over Osasuna - Reports

Barcelona's fitness woes continue to pile up, with the Brazilian trickster Raphinha becoming the latest Blaugrana player to pick up an injury.

Recent reports have suggested that the 27-year-old winger is set to be on the sidelines for a month due to the injury he picked up in Barcelona's Supercopa bout against Osasuna.

Raphinha has been Xavi's go-to choice on the right wing, with the ex-Leeds United player making 20 appearances across all competitions this term. Blessed with a threatening burst of pace, Raphinha has been one of the most crucial providers for the Blaugrana this season, bagging four goals and seven assists so far.

With a place in the Supercopa final at stake, Xavi once again decided to put his trust in the Porto Alegre-born winger, starting him alongside Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the attack.

However, Raphinha could only feature in the match for a mere 42 minutes before he was substituted in the first half after showing signs of discomfort.

Barcelona have since confirmed that the dynamic wideman has picked up an injury in the biceps femoris muscle of his left thigh. As a result, he is set to miss action for an estimated period of one month.

Hence, the Blaugrana will have to make do without Raphinha in crucial matches like the Supercopa final against Real Madrid and their first UCL knockout bout against Napoli.

At the time of writing, the Catalan giants presently have five functioning attackers at their disposal. They include the aforementioned Lewandowski and Torres, alongside Lamine Yamal, Joao Felix, and newcomer Vitor Roque.

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Barcelona are currently missing six senior squad members due to injuries

Xavi's side witnessed a significant drop in form towards the latter half of 2023, with injuries playing a huge role in their downfall. At the moment, the reigning Spanish champions are missing six first-team players owing to various injuries.

Deputy captain and first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was the first player to fall victim to the injury epidemic that has been plaguing Barcelona's 2023-24 season.

He sustained a back injury in November of 2023 and has yet to make a full recovery. Consequently, Barcelona have had to rely on academy graduate Inaki Pena to take up the goalkeeping responsibilities.

Gavi is another crucial player that Xavi is desperately missing. The Spanish wunderkind tragically sustained an ACL injury in his right knee while on international duty, which ended up inflicting a premature end to his season.

Other senior members currently sidelined due to fitness issues include Inigo Martinez, Marcos Alonso, the previously mentioned Raphinha, and loanee Joao Cancelo.