Barcelona's coach Hansi Flick has expressed frustration with the scheduling of his team's upcoming match against Osasuna, which takes place Thursday following the international break.
"I don't want to speak about my reaction, I think it's not good," Flick stated during a news conference when questioned about the rescheduled fixture. "Players have played for their national teams, but we have to play this match."
The game was originally scheduled for earlier in March but was postponed following the death of Barcelona's first team doctor, Carles Miñarro. As a result, Barcelona now faces an intense stretch of seven games in just 20 days.
The scheduling has forced Flick to make difficult decisions regarding his squad. Both Raphinha and Ronald Araújo will miss the Osasuna match as they return from World Cup qualifiers in South America. "Rapha and Ronald will not play," Flick confirmed. "They are out. They have a long flight. It's not the best way. They have to recover, train."
In addition, young defender Pau Cubarsí will be limited to bench duty after sustaining an ankle injury while on international duty with Spain. "Eric [García] and Iñigo [Martínez] will start for us. Pau will be on the bench. I hope we won't need him because also it's better he has two or three days more. He needs it," Flick explained.
The Barcelona coach also highlighted broader concerns about fixture congestion and player welfare. "When you play Champions League, it's not about Real Madrid against Barça, it's about protecting your Spanish teams," he said. "But we play, no excuses. We accept this. It's a task for UEFA, for FIFA that they say after international breaks it's necessary that players have three days rest. LaLiga say we have to play and we say 'Yes, we do it.'"
Flick revealed he had to cancel two days off for players returning from international duty with Spain, Netherlands, France, and Poland to ensure proper preparation for the Osasuna match.
The rearranged fixture against Osasuna gives Barcelona an opportunity to open a three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga. After Thursday's match, Barcelona will host Girona on Sunday, travel to Atlético Madrid for a Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday, and then play Real Betis the following Saturday. This intense schedule continues with a Champions League quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund, with a league match against Leganés sandwiched in between.
Despite these challenges, Flick remains optimistic about his team's physical condition. "I have a meeting with my staff, also the physiotherapists, the fitness coaches, and we spoke about what we can do to recover better and faster," he said. "They said to me, 'Hey, coach, the players are good, they are fit.' They think to play every three days is not a big thing for them, so I believe in them and we will see what happens."
