Barcelona will be forced to cope without both Marcus Rashford and Raphinha when they face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday night.

Raphinha remains sidelined with a thigh strain, while Rashford missed training on Wednesday after picking up a knee problem during Barca’s 3-0 La Liga win over Real Mallorca at the weekend.

The England forward is still feeling the effects of a knock sustained in that match, prompting head coach Hansi Flick to rule him out as a precaution.

“Marcus is not able to play, he got a hit, and it’s painful, and we have to take care about this,” Flick told reporters on Wednesday.

“I think this is not good news, but in the end I believe in my team always.

“When it’s like this, the situation is not easy, we grow and this is also necessary for tomorrow.”

Flick added that Barcelona would take a cautious approach with Raphinha’s recovery, stressing the importance of managing the winger’s workload.

“He’s a player who is always giving everything, always (playing at) high intensity in the game. And when you feel something, we have to take care and we have to maybe go one step back,” said Flick.

“This is at the moment the situation. And of course, I’m not happy with the situation because we need him.”

With both natural left wingers unavailable, Flick could deploy Ferran Torres or Dani Olmo out of position on the flank at the Metropolitano Stadium as Barca look to gain an advantage in the two-legged tie.

Barcelona are already stretched by a growing injury list, with Pedri, Gavi and Andreas Christensen all sidelined with longer-term issues.

Meanwhile, centre-back Ronald Araujo has spoken openly about his mental health in a recent interview with Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, revealing he has been battling anxiety and depression over the past 18 months following a month-long mental health break late last year.

Flick praised the Uruguayan defender’s character and highlighted the responsibility of coaches to safeguard players’ wellbeing.

“He is very strong, so to (be) open (about) this means you have to be strong in this moment,” Flick said.

“It’s all about us who are responsible also, for the players. We have to take care of them. We have to take care, also maybe the opposition’s coaches the same.”