Barcelona stars on international duty have not recovered in time for the La Liga game at home to Osasuna, manager Hansi Flick said on Wednesday, expressing his disappointment over the rescheduling of the game soon after the international break. Thirteen Barca players were called up by their respective national sides during the just-concluded international break.
Spanish leaders Barcelona face Osasuna on Thursday after the game was postponed earlier this month due to the death of the Catalan club's doctor Carles Minarro Garcia. Flick said "the players from Spain, France, and the Netherlands need to recover" as they were on international duty during the break and "it's not the best situation for them."
Spain called up Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres while Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands), Jules Kounde (France) and Robert Lewandowski (Poland) were also busy during the international break. Fermin Lopez, Pablo Torre and Gerard Martin were with Spain under-21s.
"The players have played with their national teams, and that's bad. Now we have to play against Osasuna, and we have to talk about whether it's the right time ... I'm not happy. There are other leagues that do it differently," Flick told reporters.
"I can't change that. That's my personal opinion. But we're going to play, we're not making excuses. The team is ready and we have to strive for the best performance. We're going for it.
"The quality of the team is good and we can beat anyone even if the players don't get the optimal rest," he added.
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However, Barcelona duo Raphinha and Ronald Araujo will be unavailable on Thursday as they played for Brazil and Uruguay respectively in World Cup qualifiers. Flick said Pau Cubarsi is also unavailable and will require "three days of recovery", however Eric Garcia, Inigo Martinez and Robert Lewandowski will play against 14th-placed Osasuna. "They won't play or be in the team. They're out. The flight is long and it's not the most optimal situation. They have to train," Flick said." They have to recover and train, and then we'll see on Sunday. But the team is fantastic, and we have to fight for the three points. When we win and get three more points, it will be the best reaction we can give." Barca host Girona in La Liga on Sunday.
Barcelona, who are level on 60 points with second-placed Real Madrid, face a packed schedule over the next 20 days, with seven matches across La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.