Barcelona’s coach spoke about rotating players for the remaining matches of the season.
With relegation already confirmed for Real Valladolid, Barcelona now has a great opportunity to rest key players. After Jules Koundé’s injury, coach Hansi Flick didn’t hesitate to make this decision.
Barcelona will play Real Valladolid on Saturday. Flick is considering resting several first-choice players in this match. During a press conference the day before the match, he mentioned Koundé’s injury in the Champions League game against Inter Milan.
“I think the match against Inter Milan showed that Koundé was at his physical limit due to continuous play. That’s why he got injured. We need to focus on the doctors’ advice and see who needs rest. We have some important matches ahead, and we must think about those. We will definitely rotate the players,” he said.
“I haven’t finalized the lineup yet. There might be many changes for tomorrow’s match. As a coach, I need to think about the upcoming games as well. But I am focused on the present. Tomorrow, we need to win the match… I still don’t know what will happen, but changes are possible.”
Even though he plans to rotate players, Flick emphasized that he won’t leave anyone behind for the match against Valladolid. Everyone will travel. However, the German coach did confirm one change ahead of time. After a long injury layoff, Barcelona’s captain and goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen will make his return to the field.
“Will ter Stegen start? Yes. He will be back tomorrow,” said Flick.
“Will ter Stegen play in the remaining La Liga matches? No. I think it’s better to rotate the goalkeepers. It’s good for (Vuychekh) Stansony to rest and recover. Ter Stegen has been training very well, and he is ready to play. I’m not thinking about what happens after the Valladolid match, I’m only focused on this one.”
As for other injured players, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado, and Robert Lewandowski are gradually recovering. Flick is looking forward to having them back on the field soon.
“We will have to wait to see when they return. They are on the right track, but we still need to wait. Casado started team training today, but he is still working on his fitness. I’m not saying he is ahead of others. Lewandowski and Balde are also recovering. We might need them towards the end of the season.”
