Hansi Flick reveals the Barcelona players who will miss Osasuna match | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was refreshingly transparent with his team news ahead of Thursday's controversial La Liga meeting with Osasuna.

The Catalan giants were originally scheduled to face the side from Pamplona on 8 March before the tragic passing of team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia. La Liga, who are currently embroiled in a scheduling conflict with Real Madrid, incited the ire of Barcelona by rearranging the visit from Osasuna for Thursday 27 March, hot on the heels of the international break.

Brazil's Raphinha and Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo were always unlikely to feature given their involvement in World Cup qualifiers which bled into the early hours of Wednesday morning (CET). Flick confirmed that the duo's absence in his pre-match press conference.

"They won't play tomorrow, they won't be with the team," the German boss sighed. "They have a long flight, and it's not the best way to recover. Ronald didn't play in the last game, but after his injury, it's good that he trained. We'll see what happens on Sunday."

Raphinha (left) and Ronald Araujo will both miss Thursday's match / Soccrates Images/GettyImages

Flick also revealed the defensive partnership which will line up against Osasuna in midweek. "Eric [Garcia] and Inigo [Martinez] will play at centre back," he noted after Pau Cubarsi limped off for Spain against the Netherlands. "Pau will be on the bench. It's better for him to have a couple more days because he needs it. The injury isn't serious, but it's good that he has more days. If we needed him, he would play."

Robert Lewandowski is "ready to play" according to his manager, although Ferran Torres could start to give the 36-year-old a bit of respite after playing twice for Poland in the space of four days.

Barcelona had a glut of players involved in the Nations League quarter-finals which concluded in chaotic circumstances on Sunday night. "The players from Spain, France, and the Netherlands have to recover," Flick warned. "Today they had their first full session. That's how it is, and it's not the best situation for them, but they're professionals."

Osasuna are winless in their last six matches, leaving them slumped in 14th place. Barcelona, by contrast, could open up a three-point lead at La Liga's summit if they are victorious on Thursday.

"We have a good team, and what I've seen in training has been positive," Flick concluded. "We have to fight for the three points. If we win tomorrow, it will be a good reaction."