Flick happy Raphinha back for Barca with title in sight

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick celebrated the return of winger Raphinha from injury on Friday as the Catalans close in on the Spanish title.

Flick’s team are 11 points clear of second-place Real Madrid and can win a second successive La Liga title this weekend if they beat Osasuna on Saturday and Los Blancos drop points at out of form Espanyol the following day.

Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Brazil in March, which left him sidelined as Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals.

Barca face Real Madrid on May 10 in a Clasico which could seal their title defence if they do not clinch it this weekend, and are still in with a chance of matching the all-time record of 100 points in a Spanish league campaign.

“Rapha is a player who always gives us 100 percent, when he’s on the pitch or in training,” Flick told reporters.

“His mentality, his attitude, is always 100 percent and that helps us a lot. This season he has… had to suffer (from injury) so for us it’s important to have him back.

“He will also travel with us and we’ll see what happens tomorrow… I think also for the team it’s great to have him back, because he’s one of our captains, he’s positive and can give us these things that we need.”

Barca are without injured teenage star Lamine Yamal, with Flick saying the 18-year-old is recovering well from the hamstring problem which will keep him out until the end of the season.

“He’s doing good, so the evolution is good, I think we will see him in the World Cup,” said Flick.

“He has time, more time, to recover, to come back. And this is what he wants.”

If Barca win their remaining five league matches they will reach the 100-point record first set by Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2012 and then matched by Tito Vilanova’s Barcelona side in 2013.

“We are only focussed on the next match, (but) of course we want to win every game between now and the end of the season,” said Flick.

“For me it would be perfect when we can win every game, but also we have tough opponents. Our job is, in every match, to play on our best level, to learn from the game for the next game and for our training.

“So this is our philosophy, our attitude, our mentality.”