Barcelona sweating over key forward's fitness ahead of Atletico Madrid clash | OneFootball

Hansi Flick has revealed Raphinha asked not to feature in Barcelona's 4-1 win over Girona on Sunday because he did not feel fully fit.

Raphinha has been in utterly sensational form this season, emerging as a possible candidate to win the Ballon d'Or after racking up 27 goals and 20 assists in all competitions since Flick's arrival last summer.

He missed the rescheduled fixture against Osasuna because it came less than 48 hours after he was in international duty with Brazil in South America, and Raphinha then went unused in a second consecutive fixture after being left on the bench against Girona.

Asked why the former Leeds United and Rennes player did not feature on Sunday, Flick confirmed the Brazilian had his own concerns about his fitness.

Raphinha hasn't featured since the international break / Sports Press Photo/GettyImages

"Raphinha didn't play due to discomfort," the Barcelona boss said. "He was honest and told me he wasn't fully fit."

Barcelona are back in action on Wednesday in a huge Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, in which the score is tied at 4-4 after February's hectic first fixture.

"We hope he'll be in better shape for Wednesday," Flick concluded.

According to AS, Raphinha is not battling a specific injury and instead complained about general exhaustion, insisting he simply did not feel strong enough to play to his best against Girona.

With the Atletico game coming up, Flick made the decision to block Raphinha from even warming up on the sidelines against Girona, preserving his fitness before beginning a dedicated recovery process. Club staff are said to be "190%" confident Raphinha will be fit to face Diego Simeone's side.