FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick have welcomed back a key duo at a crucial point of the season.

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FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick welcomed a key duo back to the group in training on Wednesday, at a crucial point of the season.

At the Joan Gamper CT, Raphinha, Marc Bernal and Andreas Christensen joined the first team squad for part of a session which was the first this week after Flick gave days off as a reward for the heroic 2-0 win over Getafe.

Raphinha injuring his hamstring in a 2-1 friendly loss for Brazil to France was a major blow for the Blaugrana.

His presence in the Champions League quarterfinals Barca lost 4-3 to Atletico Madrid on aggregate was sorely felt, and the Brazilian could earn minutes against Osasuna on Saturday.

Marcus Rashford partly impressed by netting an equaliser in a 2-1 league win over Atleti and the second goal at Getafe. But he failed to nail down the left wing spot ceded to Fermin Lopez, which Raphinha is likely to win back while the Andalusian drifts back into the middle to challenge Dani Olmo for the CAM spot.

As for Bernal, he suffered an ankle sprain in the mentioned 2-1 win at the Metropolitano, and was only expected to be out for two weeks.

That’s ended up turning into almost a full month, and derailed a breakout campaign where the pivot scored five goals in all competitions.

Eying the first Clasico at the new Spotify Camp Nou on May 10, he’ll look to dislodge Frenkie de Jong by the side of Pedri while Gavi is another positional rival.

Christensen is a case apart, with his partial ACL tear sidelining him for most of what looks to be a domestic-double winning season.

He’s an option in defence, and even in defensive midfield. But it’s more about seeing what level he’s at, and whether he’ll renew his contract or be released as a free agent on June 30.

When fit, the Dane has plenty to offer in the heart of the back line. Yet he’s had to watch from the dugout as Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin have formed one of Europe’s most impressive central partnerships.

Furthermore, Alessandro Bastoni could be on the way from Inter Milan making his future under Hansi Flick further threatened if he decides to stay at FC Barcelona.