Not everything was joy in FC Barcelona's thrashing of FC Daegu (0-5) to close the Asian tour. Pau Cubarsí requested medical assistance minutes before the end of the match, so Héctor Fort had to enter in his place.
The '2' had entered in the second half for Ronald Araujo, but had to request the change a couple of minutes before the end of the match due to a blow to the left knee. At first, a major injury was feared, but apparently it was just a scare.
The center-back went to the locker room on his own, although limping. The first explorations only detect a blow. However, we must wait for the tests to know the extent of the injury and know if he can reach the debut against Mallorca for LaLiga EA Sports next Saturday, August 16.
Pau Cubarsí could miss the Joan Gamper Trophy
Barça returns to Barcelona after its Asian tour this Tuesday and is already focused on the Festa del Gamper Estrella Damm on August 10 against Como 1907, at 9:00 p.m. at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
In this sense, Pau Cubarsí, after experiencing discomfort in his last match, joins the doubters of Íñigo Martínez, Fermín López, and Ferrán Torres, who ultimately missed the match against Daegu as a precaution after suffering physical discomfort over the weekend.
Like the center back, the medical report is awaited to determine whether the three players can be included in the squad for the final training session before the start of LaLiga 2025/26. The "Shark" was on the bench on Monday, but ultimately did not enter.
In the case of the number 2, it is very likely that Hansi Flick, despite stating in the post-match press conference in Daegu that the defender "is fine and only suffered a knock," will rest him so he can be used on Saturday, August 16, against Mallorca.
This is how Pau Cubarsí's Asian tour went
Cubarsí played the first half against Vissel Kobe (1-3), the only match in which he partnered his usual partner during the 2024/25 season, Iñigo Martínez. Although Barça conceded a goal in the opening 45 minutes, the 18-year-old defender was, as usual, in charge of marking, although an error on his way out led to the counterattack that ended in the Japanese goal.
Against FC Seoul, Pau started again, this time partnering Ronald Araujo. The Catalans conceded two goals before halftime, one of them preceded by a clear offside call. The number two only failed one pass in 64 attempts, making him the player with the most passes completed on the matchday.
Finally, against Daegu FC, Flick opted for Araujo and Gerard Martín as center-backs. Cubarsí came on in the second half, alongside Andreas Christensen, and had had virtually no defensive issues until suffering the knock that sent him to the locker room two minutes from time.
Overall, the youth product, like the rest of the squad, left a good impression on the Asian tour. However, both Ronald and Christensen have demonstrated the potential to challenge for a place. The Dane even scored a goal against Seoul, although he is one of the possible players to be discarded due to the overbooking of center-backs in the squad (there are currently five).