According to Sport, Barcelona welcomed back two important players during their fifth training session at St. George's Park in England: Raphinha joined the team training after his vacation, while Balde, who had been absent due to back discomfort, also recovered and completed a full training session.
This was Barça's second-to-last training session before their friendly match against Birmingham City. Raphinha participated in part of the team's training led by Flick, while Balde completed the entire training program. Later that evening, Barcelona will continue their training at the Bobby Charlton training ground.
Raphinha started his fifth season at Barcelona in good form. Over the past few months, the Brazilian winger has been plagued by injuries, including physical problems while with the national team. For the new season, he hopes to regain the form he showed under Flick in the 2024/25 season. That season, Raphinha had a breakthrough, not only becoming a key core of Barcelona's attack but also emerging as a strong candidate for the Ballon d'Or.
However, Raphinha's experience at the 2026 World Cup was not smooth. He only played in the first two group stage matches for Brazil, suffering an injury in the second round against Haiti. Although he was subsequently included in the squad for the round of 16 match against Norway, he did not get any playing time and ultimately could not help Brazil avoid elimination by Haaland's Norway.
Therefore, Barcelona plans for Raphinha to gradually regain his form. His goal is to return in peak physical condition before the first La Liga match of the new season against Elche. It has been confirmed that he will not participate in the friendly match against Birmingham City, and whether he can play in next Monday's training match against Preston remains to be seen.
In contrast, Balde's recovery is more positive. The left-back, who had been training individually due to slight back discomfort, has now overcome the injury and completed team training. However, he will also not play against Birmingham.
In addition, Tommy Maques was the only player absent from Thursday morning's training (excluding de Jong). Due to excessive physical exertion, his participation in upcoming matches remains questionable.
Barcelona director Rafa Yuste arrived in England on Wednesday evening to join the team. Bojan Krkic and Alejandro Echevarría also watched the training session. The team led by Flick is currently fully preparing for the 2026/27 season.
AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com
Rajoppa
2
fight for the best man 💪💪💪