Barcelona captain Raphinha was back in the starting XI on Tuesday night against PSG but couldn’t prevent his side from suffering their first defeat of the campaign.
The Champions League holders won 4-2 at Parc des Princes in a thrilling game that saw Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal on target for the visitors.
Raphinha spoke to the media after the defeat and admitted he was disappointed with the result but feels the game shows Barca can compete with PSG.
“We knew it could happen. We’re facing the two-time European champions at their home ground. They’re very strong. Obviously, we wanted to come away with a win or at least a point, but it’s not the end of the world. This happens when it has to happen. We only dropped three points. We’ll see what the manager tells us so we can improve and be ready for El Clásico,” he told Movistar.
“They’re a very well-coached team. Despite the result, we competed well. They’re both teams that like to have possession. I think it was a good test, and it shows we can compete. I think we played well.
“I think I’ve had less than a week of training and this was expected to happen. I finished the match feeling good, strong, and now I’m focused on getting in better physical shape for the Clásico. This doesn’t affect the Clásico at all.”
Barca will now hope to bounce back quickly and get back to winning ways against Real Madrid on Sunday.