Per Body: Rafinha is close to returning and is expected to return against Athletic Bilbao

November 17th: Recently, "Daily Sports" talked about Barcelona's injury recovery. They said that both Joan Garcia and Rafinha are expected to return in the game against Athletic Bilbao.

Flick gradually welcomed back three players that he has always emphasized are crucial to the team's performance: Juan Garcia, Pedri and Rafinha. These three players have been sidelined due to injuries in recent games, and Flick hopes that they can have a decisive impact in the next games.

Flick said after the victory over Celta Vigo that he looked forward to reactivating these three players after the interval, but did not specify whether they would return in the game against Athletic Bilbao on November 22. Juan Garcia is currently the most likely player to start directly. On Tuesday, the team resumed training after four days of rest. He performed well in his first training after overcoming a meniscus injury and is expected to resume his role as the starting goalkeeper when the league returns.

Another highlight could be Raphinha, who is also expected to feature against Athletic Bilbao. The Brazilian went on holiday to Abu Dhabi during Flick's holiday for the team. While his recovery from the injury remains to be seen, he is expected to join the team for training on Tuesday or Wednesday. While Rashford has performed well in his absence, the team misses Raphinha's leadership and aggression.

He was one of the important contributors to the Treble last season. Ideally, Raphinha can get some playing time against Athletic Bilbao and reach his best form against Chelsea or Alaves. Flick believes that Raphinha's return will not only contribute to the game (he has three goals and two assists in seven games this season), but also improve the quality of training.

A few weeks ago, Flick pointed out that with the return of Olmo and Lewandowski, the training level has improved significantly. For him, this is a very critical point, because he has always emphasized that the team's performance in the game directly reflects the quality of its usual training.