Real Oviedo coach laments Barcelona gem’s absence for La Liga clash – ‘I admire these players’ | OneFootball

Real Oviedo might be the minnows in La Liga this season. But for the club, this is a special season, having won promotion last season for the first time in 24 years.

Quite naturally, Oviedo will be excited to take on some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The club have already faced Real Madrid last month and this week, they will play hosts to Barcelona.

Oviedo coach wanted Yamal to play

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Real Oviedo coach Veljko Paunovic admitted that he will miss seeing Lamine Yamal in action.

When asked about Barcelona’s recent injuries, especially after the club confirmed fresh absences for Gavi and Fermin Lopez, Paunovic singled out Yamal, in particular.

The Real Oviedo even went on to back Yamal to ‘mark an era’ in football. His statement came against the backdrop of Yamal finishing second in the final Ballon d’Or ranking, finishing behind the winner, Ousmane Dembele.

Lamine Yamal won’t be playing against Oviedo (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for a great player to be injured and miss the match. I regret it because I admire these players, especially one like Lamine Yamal, who I believe is destined to mark an era,” he said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

Yamal will miss the Oviedo match due to an ongoing injury but could receive the green light to feature against Real Sociedad.

When asked about Oviedo’s game plan against Barcelona, Paunovic stated that his team must appear ‘organised, focused, and courageous’ in order to compete against ‘a Champions League team’.

Paunovic went on to heap praise on his own team, stating that they are capable of putting out a strong fight, as evidenced in the recent game against Elche.

“The final stretch against Elche was a good example of what this team is capable of. We lacked the same conviction at the start of the match.

“We had more shots than ever away from home, and these lessons have to be taken for granted so we don’t let ourselves down again,” he concluded.

Playing in La Liga for the first time in two and a half decades, Oviedo have started the new season with one win in five matches and are currently 17th in the league table.