Barcelona, the leader and champion of the Spanish football league, has suffered a major blow due to the injury to its Brazilian winger Raphinha, who will be sidelined for five weeks. Raphinha suffered a hamstring tear during Brazil's 1-2 friendly defeat to France in the United States on Thursday. Barcelona stated in a statement: "The player will return to Barcelona to begin appropriate treatment. The initial estimate for his absence is five weeks." Raphinha is one of the standout players for the Catalan team this season and will miss both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against their local rival Atlético Madrid. The first leg will be hosted by Atlético on April 8, with the return leg at the Camp Nou on April 14. The 29-year-old, who has scored 19 goals this season, will also miss La Liga matches against Atlético, Espanyol, Celta Vigo, and Getafe. Barcelona hopes Raphinha can recover in time for the 'Clásico' league match against their rival Real Madrid on May 10, or for a potential Champions League semi-final against English Arsenal or Portuguese Sporting on April 29.
