Valverde: Barca count on Rafinha

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has confirmed that midfielder Rafinha “is one more player that can help us” this season.

Rafinha had been heavily linked with Inter over the past week, but the Brazilian made his first appearance in almost a year on Wednesday, coming on as a substitute during Barca’s 1-0 defeat to Espanyol in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

“Rafinha is one more player that can help us,” the Coach said after the game.

“We have several players injured and he’s training well. He’s improving with each day that passes.

“Defeat? We bore the brunt of the game and they waited for us to take advantage of their game plan.

“They took the last chance they had. It was quite a dangerous place to play because they could counter any little imprecision we made.

“The penalty save gave them courage. We suffered in terms of strategy but not football. Any detail can decide a derby.

“Favourites? It’s the team that are winning or have an advantage. We have to overcome this adverse result, and we hope our fans will help us.”

Tags Ernesto Valverde Rafinha
La Liga - Club News