Raphinha doubtful for Barcelona’s Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid

Barcelona forward Raphinha is doubtful for the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

Raphinha is recovering from a muscle injury and has missed two games in a row. He did not train with the rest of the team on Tuesday.

The Brazil international has not played since January 31 in a 3-1 win over Elche in La Liga. He was replaced at half-time during the match after feeling muscle pain in his right leg.

“I feel better, we take it day by day,” he told Spanish media on Monday. «We’ll see if I’m fit on Thursday… There are options, but we all know what injuries are like. I can’t lie to you. I’d like to say I can play on Thursday, but I’m a bit lacking in fitness.»

READ | Laporta steps down as Barcelona president to stand for re-election

Raphinha has been one of Barcelona’s top players this season. He scored 10 goals in 11 games before getting injured.

Barcelona are the defending Copa champions and have won 17 of their last 18 matches in all competitions, with their latest setback being a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad on January 18.

The first leg against Atletico will be played in Madrid pdf view.

Atletico, who reached the last four with a 5-0 win at Real Betis, are seeking to reach their first Copa final since winning the competition in 2012-13.

Real Madrid was eliminated in the eighth finals by second division club Albacete. Barcelona reached the semi-finals after getting past Albacete in the quarter-finals.

Lamine Yamal remains crucial to Barcelona’s attack, scoring five goals in the team’s last five games in all competitions.

He scored for Barcelona in both the round of 16 and the quarter-finals of the Copa.

Atletico, who have recorded just one win in their last four matches in all competitions, will be boosted by newcomer Ademola Lookman, the Nigerian striker who scored on his debut for Diego Simeone’s club last week.

Basque rivals Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao meet on Wednesday in the first leg of the other semi-final.

The first match is in Bilbao, where the teams drew 1-1 in the Spanish league on February 1.

Athletic won 2-1 in Valencia to reach their sixth Copa semi-final in seven seasons, while Sociedad reached the last four for the third season in a row with a 3-2 win at Alaves.

The second leg matches will take place in March, with the final in April in Seville.

The semi-final against Atletico will be Barcelona’s first match since Joan Laporta stepped down as club president as planned on Monday to be eligible for re-election on March 15.

Laporta and several board members have resigned so that they can run for office again.

The current board of directors, including new club president Rafael Yuste, will remain in place until June 30, when the current term expires.

Published on February 10, 2026