Madrid, March 28 (NationPress) The aspirations of FC Barcelona for the La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles have encountered a significant hurdle following Raphinha's hamstring injury sustained while representing Brazil during a pre-World Cup friendly match.

The Brazilian Football Confederation announced on Friday that Raphinha injured his right hamstring during the team's 2-1 loss to France in a friendly match on Thursday. Consequently, the forward will depart from the Brazilian squad to return to Barcelona for necessary treatment, as reported by Xinhua.

This incident marks the second occurrence of a right hamstring injury for Raphinha this season, having previously been sidelined for nearly two months earlier in the campaign.

Barcelona is scheduled to face Atletico Madrid away in La Liga on April 4, followed by hosting Diego Simeone's team in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal just four days later.

Afterward, Barcelona will host Espanyol for a La Liga derby on April 11 and will travel to the Metropolitano Stadium for the second leg of the Champions League on April 14.

This season, Raphinha has been a crucial player, netting 14 goals and providing six assists in 27 matches across La Liga and the Champions League.

Prior to the international break, both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid secured narrow victories, keeping the title race competitive in the La Liga 2025-26 season. Barcelona achieved a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, while Real Madrid narrowly defeated archrivals Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a challenging Madrid Derby.

As the league approaches a critical juncture, Barcelona and Real Madrid are only four points apart, with Barcelona leading the standings at 73 points, while Real Madrid follows with 69 points after 29 matches.

The international break was perceived as timely for Barcelona, who had shown signs of fatigue in their pressing and passing. Rayo Vallecano managed to create multiple opportunities to equalize after consistently exploiting the home side's high defensive line but failed to capitalize on them.

Fortunately for Barcelona, goalkeeper Joan Garcia made several crucial saves, earning his first international call-up. There are hopes that the break will allow players to recuperate after a demanding start to 2026. However, it is evident that Barcelona will need to enhance their performance, particularly with their first match post-break being an away game against Atletico, who previously defeated them 4-0 in the Copa del Rey.

Nonetheless, Raphinha’s injury complicates matters, and the club must devise a strategy to mitigate its effects.