As the next meeting approaches, where the presence of Pau Cubarsí is not guaranteed, Hansi Flick has decided to call up a young player as a replacement.
For the second time this season, Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez may not play together. The participation of the young defender for the match against Real Sociedad remains uncertain following a shock received during the last meeting. Even though Cubarsi tried to adapt to a mask today in training, Hansi Flick's decision on whether he will be present for Sunday's match remains up in the air. In the meantime, the German coach has called on Andrés Cuenca, who will probably be retained in the list of La Liga players. The Barça Atlètic defender is expected to be part of the squad for the trip. However, Flick has other possibilities.
Two options are available to Flick
Sergi Domínguez appears as the most reasonable solution to replace Pau Curbasi in the starting team. It should be remembered that Domínguez already started the match against Villarreal (1-5), while Flick had given Pau Cubarsí a rest. Together, Domínguez and Iñigo Martínez managed to put in a solid performance during the 59 minutes of play, preventing Villarreal from scoring despite three goals being disallowed for offside, which is a testament to the well-functioning defense. This might encourage Flick to continue with this setup. Another option to replace Cubarsí would be to position Jules Koundé as central defender, with possibly Hector Fort, already starting in the Catalan derby, on the right flank. This would have the advantage that Koundé knows how to perfectly manage the offside game by playing forward, although he is more comfortable as a full-back, where he notably shone with three assists against Red Star.
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