Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi was left bloodied after being caught in the face by Crvena zvezda’s Uros Spajic, and required 10 stitches after the game.
During the latter stages of Barcelona’s 5-2 drubbing of Crvena zvezda away at Rajko Mitic Stadium, Cubarsi was caught in the face by Spajic’s high boot inside the box, and the 17-year-old went straight down holding his face prompting Barcelona and Zvezda players to flag the medical team to hurry on to the field for assistance. Cubarsi was then replaced by 19-year-old Barca Atletic defender Sergi Dominguez. Hansi Flick has now provided an update on the youngster’s injury and played down the severity despite the youngster receiving 10 stitches to his face.
Speaking to the media, Flick said: “He needed stitches, but he’s fine. He has a scar, he is young and will recover.”
Cubarsi has easily been one of the best defenders this season with pundits and fans being full of praise for the centre-back, who only turned 17 years old this year. The Spaniard was fast-tracked into the Catalan side’s first-team last season by Xavi Hernandez following a number of injuries in the squad. Under Flick, Cubarsi has formed a formidable partnership with Inigo Martinez, who is almost twice his age, as the duo have been responsible for creating one of the most accurate offside trap systems in football. So far this season, Barcelona have caught their opponents offside 108 times in just 16 matches.
It is still uncertain whether Cubarsi will be fit for Barcelona’s crucial clash against Real Sociedad at Anoeta Stadium on Sunday as the Blaugrana look to maintain their lead over Real Madrid before the start of the international break.
Goal.com
