Barcelona visit Club Brugge tonight at the Jan Breydel Stadium for Matchday 4 of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League. For this critical road contest, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha are not in the starting team.
The Polish striker is available but has been placed on the bench to start the match. Lewandowski is recently recovered from a hamstring tear in his left leg sustained while on international duty with Poland. The striker saw some minutes in the last league match against Elche and is expected to be subbed into the game in the second half to continue building his match fitness.
The Brazilian winger remains out due to injury, having been sidelined for over a month after suffering a biceps femoris injury in his right thigh during a league match against Real Oviedo on September 25th.
Raphinha was originally expected to be out for only three weeks and possibly return for the Real Madrid match, but a recurrence of the injury prolonged his time away from the pitch. The forward is now in the final stages of his recovery and is anticipated to rejoin the full squad in the coming days.
Flick navigating roster injuries
The German coach is contending with a number of serious injuries across his roster this season. Barcelona are currently without several key contributors: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Joan Garcia, Gavi, and Raphinha. Additionally, Pedri was recently ruled out after suffering a ruptured biceps femoris, which will sideline him for approximately one month.
The positive news for Flick is the return of important players like Lewandowski and Dani Olmo to the bench, both of whom have been out for a long period due to injury.
“We have to play as a team and focus on the game plan. We took a step forward with the win against Elche, and we have got important players like Olmo and Lewandowski back. We have the quality to win against Club Brugge,” Flick said in his pre-match press conference.