Raphinha is expected to rejoin Barcelona's group training at the beginning of next week after suffering an injury to the biceps femoral muscle of his right leg on March 26 during a friendly between Brazil and France. The winger has been sidelined for about a month and Barcelona had initially estimated roughly five weeks out for his recovery.
The timeline matters because Raphinha could be back in the squad for Barcelona's jornada 34 trip to El Sadar to face Osasuna on Saturday, May 2, and — if all goes well — could be available for the Clásico against Real Madrid on May 10. With Lamine Yamal ruled out for the rest of the season, Raphinha's return would add a significant attacking option in a tight stretch of fixtures.
Barcelona's initial five-week projection, the roughly one-month absence and the specific injury location underscore why the club has been cautious. The biceps femoral muscle in the right leg is the site of the problem, and that level of recovery has its own benchmarks: gradual load, group training, then match minutes. Raphinha moving into group sessions next week is the next formal step in that process.
Timing is compact. The Osasuna match on May 2 is the 34th round of LaLiga and comes less than two weeks before the Clásico. Barcelona has no midweek European commitments after being eliminated from the Champions League, a fact that concentrates preparation time but also raises expectations about which players will be available for the decisive phase of the domestic season.
The friction in this story is straightforward. Barcelona's early estimate of a five-week absence set a public expectation; the player has been out for about a month and is now due back in training. That does not automatically mean he will play immediately. Group training is the milestone, not a match report, and the club must judge fitness, minutes and match risk before naming him in a squad for El Sadar or picking him for the clash with Real Madrid.
That choice is sharpened by injuries elsewhere. With Lamine Yamal sidelined for the season, the team is thinner on the flanks and will likely look to any returning wide players for immediate impact. Raphinha's availability would therefore be more than a roster boost — it would alter selection possibilities and tactical choices heading into two fixtures that are weighted heavily for Barcelona's remaining campaign.
The path from training to matchday is narrow but mapped. If Raphinha starts group work at the beginning of next week, the coaching staff will need to assess his readiness in training, monitor his physical response and decide how much to risk in a match that matters for form and for morale. The fixture against r madrid on May 10 now stands out as the season's most consequential marker; whether Raphinha can be not only available but effective there is the question that will define the coming days.
The single most consequential unanswered question is whether the step into group training will translate into match minutes when the stakes rise. If Raphinha moves through the final stages of rehabilitation without setback, Barcelona can add a starting-caliber option before the Clásico; if not, the team will have to manage without him and rely on the players already fit for selection.
