Why is Raphinha not playing for Barcelona against Atlético in the Copa del Rey?

Winds around 60mph whirled into Cataluña on Thursday morning which caused the team to push forward their plans and set off for the capital city a day earlier. The scheduled plane journey of 300 miles took place on Wednesday evening and the team landed safely ahead of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atlético de Madrid (3pm ET).

However, Hansi Flick will be forced to play the game without a number of key names from the squad, as he battles his way through something of a mini-injury plague at a key point in the season.

Why is Pedri not playing for Barcelona against Atlético Madrid?

Pedri will be out of action for the game after the midfielder suffered a right hamstring injury against Slavia Prague in the Champions League at the end of January. Initial tests seemed to suggest that the recovery period will be around a month, meaning that he should be back to fitness in two to three weeks.

Why is Raphinha not playing for Barcelona against Atlético Madrid?

Raphinha has missed the last two games for Barcelona, against Albacete and Mallorca, due to an adductor strain which is likely to keep him out of at least the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final round.

“I’m feeling better, we’re taking it day by day,” Raphinha told Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo, adding “we’ll see if I’m ready for Thursday, but we’ll wait and see.”

Marcus Rashford has a bruise on his left knee which will definitely keep him out of action, with the club saying he has “pain in his left knee after taking a blow in the game against Mallorca on Saturday at Spotify Camp Nou.”

Barcelona take on Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano stadium in the country’s capital city. Kick-off is set for 3pm ET. Follow the game live on AS USA.