Barca is concerned about Raphinha's situation in Brazil.

Barcelona is working hard to reach an agreement with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to allow Raphinha to come back sooner following the Chile match, thus sparing him from the physically taxing trip to Bolivia at 4,150 meters elevation.

Carlo Ancelotti faces considerable controversy during his second call-up for Brazil. While resting Real Madrid’s trio Éder Militao, Vinicius Jr, and Rodrygo, he insists that Raphinha participate in two matches that hold little significance during the September FIFA international window.

Brazil has already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup and only has two remaining formal matches in the South American qualifiers: hosting Chile at Maracanã on September 4th, then traveling to El Alto on September 9th to face Bolivia. For Barca, this is a major disadvantage because playing at 4,150 meters altitude will severely drain physical strength, while the competitive value of the match is almost negligible.

Therefore, the Catalan club has planned to negotiate with the CBF to have Raphinha withdrawn from the squad after the Chile game, allowing him to return to the club squad early. Barca believes this is a reasonable solution that helps the player avoid fatigue and ensures fairness compared to the Real Madrid stars who are granted rest.

Ancelotti’s current call-up list also draws attention with several new faces. Defender Douglas Santos (Zenit) and striker Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro) are notable inclusions, with Kaio Jorge leading the scoring charts in the 2026 Brasileirao. “Carletto” aims to use this rare opportunity to evaluate new talents before finalizing the World Cup squad.

What frustrates Barca even more is that Coach Ancelotti views this as the only experimental phase with Brazil. In October, when Brazil tours Asia to play South Korea and Japan, the Italian coach will summon the core players he plans to take to the World Cup. In this context, forcing Raphinha to participate in both September matches is something Barca finds hard to accept.

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