Hansi Flick confirmed on Friday that Raphinha and Marc Bernal will travel with Barcelona to Pamplona for Saturday’s La Liga clash at El Sadar, scheduled for 2 May at 9.00pm CEST, marking the pair’s return to the fcb matchday squad after brief injury absences.
The timing matters: Barcelona head into the fixture 11 points clear of Real Madrid with five games remaining, meaning a victory at Osasuna would force Madrid to win the following day if the title race is to stretch into another gameweek.
Raphinha missed the entire month of April through injury, and Bernal has also missed recent matches because of fitness problems. Flick made clear he values the pair’s presence even if he does not intend to rush them back into the starting line-up. On Raphinha he said: "Rapha always gives 100%." He added, "It’s his mentality, his attitude," and: "He helps us a lot, but he’s struggled this season." Flick underlined the importance of the winger’s return: "It’s important to have him back." He also said of Raphinha’s immediate prospects, "He’ll travel and we’ll see what happens." A supplementary source made that assessment explicit: neither player is likely to start at El Sadar, but both could get minutes off the bench.
Bernal’s return drew its own brief, emphatic acknowledgement from Flick. "Berni’ will be with us tomorrow," the coach said, and added plainly of his leadership group: "He’s the captain." Flick even hinted at what the staff hope Bernal might supply in a tight run-in: "Maybe he’ll give us what we need." Those possibilities come with risk: both Raphinha and Bernal sit one yellow card away from a one-match ban, and Frenkie de Jong is already on four yellow cards, a combination that complicates selection choices for a side guarding a sizeable lead.
Osasuna present a particular test. The side inflicted Flick’s first defeat as Barcelona manager at El Sadar during the 2024-25 season — a result Flick has not forgotten. "I remember that day because we made a lot of changes to the starting eleven," he said, and promised a different approach this time: "We won’t do that tomorrow." He balanced that reminder with caution, saying: "I also know that Osasuna is playing well and that one of their objectives is to play in Europe next season."
The tight margins add an extra layer of tension. Flick insists the group are in a positive phase — "I think we’re in a good moment now" — but the yellow-card statuses mean any minutes for the returning players carry immediate consequences for selection in the final five matches. The manager’s other refrain was practical and familiar: "As always, we’ll have to give our best."
Given the injuries, the booking risk and the need to protect an 11-point lead, the facts point to a cautious plan: both Raphinha and Marc Bernal have been included to bolster the matchday squad but, per the coaching staff’s own readout, are more likely to be used as impact substitutes than as starters at El Sadar. How Flick deploys them on 2 May could determine whether Barcelona seal control of the title race before the Madrid game that follows.
