Flick’s assistant talks Lamine, Raphinha, Ferran, Kounde ahead of Real Madrid vs Barcelona | OneFootball

FC Barcelona will lock horns with bitter rivals Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the 2025/26 season on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ahead of the big game, Barça’s assistant manager, Marcus Sorg, appeared in front of the media for the pre-match press conference in place of head coach Hansi Flick, who is suspended for the game.

Sorg addressed a plethora of topics during his interaction with the press, including Lamine Yamal’s recent comments aimed at Real Madrid that have caused quite a stir.

Sorg previews El Clasico

Kicking things off, Sorg spoke about the opportunity to be in charge of things for Barcelona tomorrow in a big game such as the Clasico, saying:

“I’m very proud to be managing from the bench. It will be a very tough game. It will be important to control possession and apply pressure.”

Regarding not having Flick present on the touchline for the game, he added: “We always miss Hansi when he’s not here. He’s the most important part of the team. We all know what we have to do.”

The chat then quickly moved to Lamine and his statements, where he said ‘Real Madrid steal and complain’ – which have not gone down too well in the opposition camp.

Not getting drawn into the controversy, insisting that Lamine will be motivated to do well against Los Blancos.

“Lamine is a top player, and he’ll be motivated for tomorrow. Hopefully, he can have a great game,” he said.

Regarding the challenge that the 18-year-old faces going up against Real Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras, who performed well in this duel while at Benfica, Sorg remarked:

“Lamine is always motivated. If I remember correctly, we won every game with Benfica.”

No Raphinha for Barcelona. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The Barcelona assistant coach then lamented the absence of Raphinha, who has not recovered from his hamstring injury, while also offering an update on Ferran Torres.

“Raphinha won’t be available, but we have enough players. We’ll try to get Ferran on the pitch, but we’ll decide tomorrow,” said Sorg.

Regarding the condition of Jules Kounde and his availability, Sorg stated: “Jules trained this morning, and we have to wait and see how he reacts after training. We haven’t decided on tomorrow’s starting eleven yet.”

On the topic of referees, especially after the game against Girona, where Barcelona felt aggrieved by some of the decisions, Sorg remarked:

“You have to focus on the match and nothing else. You can’t think about the referees. We all make mistakes, and we have to discuss what we can control.”

There have been some question marks about Barcelona’s high defensive line tactics, especially after the heavy defeat against Sevilla, but Sorg insists that they will stick to their guns.

“We have to do our job well, press and keep a high line. If we change anything, we’ll lose our structure, and that doesn’t help,” he stated.

Regarding who is the favourite heading into the match, Sorg refused to pick one, saying: “In these games, it’s 50/50. The team that plays better will win, it’s that simple.”

Marcus Sorg will be in charge of Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona are facing a selection dilemma in central defence, where Ronald Araujo is pushing for a start while Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia have done well. On the topic, the assistant coach said:

“Normally it’s better to play with the same eleven, but we’ve had a lot of injuries and we’ve made changes. If you have 60 games a year, it’s not possible to always stick with the same ones.”

On the opposition

Sorg then spoke about Real Madrid and their improvement this season under Xabi Alonso, saying:

“The biggest change is that they press very well, especially in attack.”

The Barcelona assistant coach also touched upon the atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu and how it can pose a challenge.

“At the Bernabeu, you never know what might happen. There are a lot of emotions, and we’re ready for that,” he remarked.

“We had a good transition, and if we want to win at the Bernabeu, we have to stick together, press and play as a unit. If we do that, we’ll have chances.”

Regarding Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe, he added: “We always talk about the opposition. That’s how we work. The players will be ready, especially for Vini and Mbappe.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo