FC Barcelona thrashed Red Star Belgrade 5-2 in midweek, but the big win included a very ugly moment- Pau Cubarsi leaving the pitch with blood streaming down his face. The Barcelona defender was literally kicked in the face, as part of a reckless challenge by the Serbian’s side Uroš Spajic.
After the UEFA Champions League match, Barca boss Hansi Flick said that Cubarsí was overall, ultimately “fine,” but that he required 10 stitches.
FC Barcelona at Real Sociedad FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Nov. 10, 8pm, Anoeta Stadium (Reale Arena), San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain
LL Position, Form: FC Barcelona 1st, 33 pts LWWWW Real Sociedad, 11th, 15 pts, WDWLW
Google Result Probability: FC Barcelona 55% Draw 22% Sevilla FC 19%
FC Barcelona Team News
So is he all good for Sunday? Sounds like he’s a doubt right now, or maybe even a strong doubt.
With the November internationals coming, why not just sit him? Other than Cubarsi, there is nothing else new to cover here.
Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Marc Bernal all remain out as long-term injury absentees. So with all that in mind, let’s just get to Flick’s picks (potentially), in the 4-2-3-1 formation
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction
Inaki Pena; Jules Kounde, Inigo Martinez, Hector Fort, Alexander Balde; Married Marc, Frenkie of Jong; Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal; Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.
