Relief for Barcelona as key duo not injured following scare against Elche

Two Barcelona stars left the field with fitness issues against Elche last night in the league clash at Estadio Martinez Valero.

The first who made his way off the field was Raphinha, who was seen touching his thigh towards the end of the first half and did not return to the field after the break as Hansi Flick sent out Marcus Rashford instead.

Jules Kounde was the other player who left the field with discomfort, albeit towards the very end of the game, with Flick replacing him with Ronald Araujo.

No cause for concern

As confirmed in an update by AS, neither player’s injury is serious or threatening to their participation in the immediate future.

Raphinha had a strain in his adductor, and an examination at half-time revealed that it was fortunately just a scare. Flick, understandably, decided to rest the Brazilian in the second half out of precaution.

No injury to Raphinha. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

In fact, it was always the plan that Raphinha would not play more than 60 minutes on the night, and not much changed in that regard.

Kounde, meanwhile, seemingly went down with cramps and the sensations around his setback are optimistic too. Only the tests scheduled, however, will provide clarity on the nature of his discomfort.

What is clear is that initial tests reveal no serious injuries, which will come as a major relief for Barcelona, given the importance of both Raphinha and Kounde.

Needless to say, both players could well be rested in the upcoming clash against Albacete in the Copa de Rey to ensure they recover in time for the big games up ahead.

After all, Flick has decent options to replace the duo for the cup tie. Should they be rested, all signs point to Marcus Rashford and Joao Cancelo taking their places in the lineup and looking to make an impact on their rare starts.