Barcelona is currently facing some really important fixtures after decisively defeating Getafe in their match at Montjuic. This weekend’s matchup against Athletic Club marks the start of their busy schedule. Their following four games are against Atletico Madrid and Napoli.
For the big nights, manager Xavi Hernandez will obviously need his top players to be performing.
The starting lineup for important games is still uncertain, despite the fact that players like Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Cancelo, Lamine Yamal, and Frenkie de Jong are lockdown starters.
The major conundrum
After a miserable seven months, Barcelona’s defence has shown some improvement in recent games. Xavi, nevertheless, currently regards Ronald Araujo as the sole name from the starting lineup that cannot be touched.
Given that Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde are now playing regularly at right back and defensive midfield, respectively, two players stand out as potential teammates for the Uruguayan on this particular evening: Inigo Martinez and Paud Cubarsi.
SPORT has disclosed that Xavi is unsure about which of the two to believe on Sunday.
There is no way to compare the two profiles further. Martinez is a player that was raised in the Basque nation. He spent seven years as a player with Real Sociedad and five more at Athletic Club. He is the team’s most experienced player at 32 years old.
Cubarsi, on the other hand, is a gifted young player from Barcelona who has displayed maturity above his years. He just earned the title of team’s greatest ball-playing centre defender, according to Xavi, and his performance against Getafe cemented his status as an incredible talent.
The element of protection
But even at just 17 years old, Xavi and Barcelona have a history of standing by Cubarsi when he plays on large stages, as shown by his benching against Napoli. Ultimately, he is still a young man, and it is not advisable to push him into the deep end.
Barcelona is probably going to choose to rest Cubarsi once more because they are still recovering from the injuries that Athletic Club inflicted on them during their most recent Copa del Rey match.
Notwithstanding conjecture, both athletes possess strong prospects of teaming up with Araujo, and the choice will significantly impact the final outcome.