Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has confirmed that Pau Cubarsi will not be in the starting lineup for the match against Osasuna.
After the World Cup qualifying match, Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and Raphinha rushed back to Spain, but Flick has made it clear that they won’t be considered for the next match. The two key players will not feature in the game against Osasuna.
Araujo, the Uruguay defender, missed the 0-0 draw in Bolivia. Just a couple of hours after that match, Raphinha played the full 90 minutes for Brazil against Argentina.
The main reason for the hurry of these two players to return to Spain is the upcoming match against Osasuna. This La Liga fixture, which was postponed earlier, will be played on Thursday night. Due to the short recovery time, Flick confirmed that neither of them will be part of the matchday squad.
“They won’t play. Their flight was long, and this is not the best way to recover. Ronald didn’t play in the last match, but it’s good for him to be able to train after his injury. We’ll see how things stand on Sunday. We have a good team, and the training I’ve seen has been quite positive. We need to fight for our three points. If we win tomorrow, that will be great.”
Regarding young Spanish defender Pau Cubarsi, Flick mentioned that he will not start either. The coach plans to rest him as much as possible.
“Will Pau Cubarsi start? No. Eric (Garcia) and Inigo (Martinez) will play. Pau will be on the bench. We need him, and I think an extra two or three days of rest will be good for him. Having three days to recover is good for him.”
Barcelona faces the challenge of playing seven matches within the next 20 days. Given the busy schedule at this point in the season, Flick acknowledged that there will be difficulties. However, he is confident that his team will be ready.
“I’ve spoken with my staff and the physiotherapists. We’ve discussed how to get the players back to their normal condition. They’ve told me that the players are ready, and playing every three days isn’t too much for them. I trust their judgment, and now we’ll see what happens.”
Barcelona leads the La Liga table with 60 points from 27 matches. A win over Osasuna would extend their lead.
Real Madrid is second with 60 points from 28 matches, while Atlético Madrid is third with 56 points from the same number of matches.
Osasuna sits in 14th place with 33 points.
