Barcelona manager’s plan to deal with quick turnaround between games vs Osasuna and Girona | OneFootball

Barcelona are facing a gruelling schedule coming out of the international break starting with the rescheduled La Liga fixture against CA Osasuna on March 27.

Less than 72 hours later, the Catalans will be in action again in the league as they take on local rivals Girona in the Catalan derby.

The scheduling has created some concern at Barça given the quick turnaround between matches and the potential lack of availability of key players like Ronald Araujo and Raphinha due to international commitments.

Flick’s plan to deal with the fixture schedule

As such, SPORT reports that considering the tight schedule and player fatigue, Flick is planning to field two very different starting lineups for the matches against Osasuna and Girona.

Heavy rotations incoming. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Flick began preparations for the upcoming games on Monday, but with a depleted squad. Barça only welcomed back three players from the Spanish U21 squad on Monday while today saw a number of other internationals return to training.

Robert Lewandowski is expected to be back on Wednesday while both Araujo and Raphinha later in the evening, leaving very little time for the duo to prepare for the game.

As such, there will be changes made to the lineups for both games. On Thursday, players such as Eric Garcia, Fermin Lopez, and Ferran Torres are likely to start. By contrast, Sunday’s clash may see the return of Araujo and Raphinha.

There could also be further rotations on Thursday, potentially resting key players such as Pedri or Jules Kounde, who were heavily involved during the international break.

With a demanding game against Atletico Madrid on 2nd April (Copa del Rey semi-final second leg), Flick is set to rotate heavily to keep his squad fresh for the trip to the Metropolitano.