MADRID – Brazilian star Neymar will make his
first appearance of the season when Barcelona
travel to face Villarreal on Sunday, but the
Catalans will have to do without the injured
Andres Iniesta.
Neymar missed Barca’s opening day 3-0 over
Elche last weekend due to a sprained ankle,
having only just recovered from the broken
vertebra in his back which prematurely ended his
World Cup.
Iniesta, though, has been sidelined by a knee
injury.
“He had a problem in his knee that was getting
worse and hasn’t allowed him to play,” said
Barca boss Luis Enrique on Saturday.
“Neymar is in the squad because he is ready to
play. Winning a place in the team is difficult, but
the key for the season is not just to have 11
players, but that we win with everyone.”
Neymar and team-mate Messi
The performance of 18-year-old Munir El Haddadi
on debut against Elche may mean Nemyar will
start only from the bench at El Madrigal.
Munir’s fine week was rounded off by a first call-
up to the Spanish under-21 squad on Friday, but
Enrique insists he hasn’t made any plans to
protect his protégé during his rapid rise to
prominence.
“We haven’t done any special work to protect
him. He ought to attack everything at the moment
calmly. What he is doing at the moment other
players will do throughout the course of the
season.
“It is great that all the players gain confidence
and have minutes on the pitch. Taking decisions
is the most important thing for a coach, but you
can’t always keep everyone in the team happy.
Source : Vanguard
Via @FreshMindWorld
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