Barcelona centre-back Inigo Martinez insists that he is “fine” after a fitness scare against Young Boys in the Champions League.
Barcelona centre-back Inigo Martinez has insisted that he is “fine” and will be available for his side’s next match despite being substituted with an apparent injury against Young Boys.
Martinez was on the scoresheet in Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday night, but he had to be replaced in the 84th minute of the contest with a fitness issue.
There had been concerns that the centre-back was facing a period on the sidelines with a possible muscular problem, but the Spaniard insisted after the fixture that his substitution was a precaution.
“I’m fine. I’ll be available for the next match with no problems,” Martinez told reporters. “I could have continued, but I had been dealing with this overload for some time and we decided to make the change.
“I hadn’t been able to score for a while and I had even forgotten how to celebrate. I’m happy with the goal, but above all for the three points, because we had to win no matter what after the defeat against Monaco.”
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Martinez will be fit for Sunday’s clash with Alaves
Robert Lewandowski netted twice, while Raphinha was also on the scoresheet against Young Boys, as Barcelona bounced back from their 4-2 loss to Osasuna in Spain’s top flight.
“Nobody knows how this Champions League will work, but it is always good to have a good goal difference and we were able to win by a wide margin after the defeat in the first round,” Barcelona boss Hansi Flick told reporters.
“We started well, but not as well as I would like. We have to start stronger, be better with our passes and improve the dynamic by playing as a team. But it was important to get the three points and we are satisfied. United like this, we can do great things.”
There was also a return to the team for Frenkie de Jong, with the Netherlands international playing the final 15 minutes of the contest, replacing Lamine Yamal in the European clash.
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De Jong made timely return for Barcelona against Young Boys
“He put on the shirt on the field again and felt good and played again. He has done a lot and has run well, he has shown good feelings in his return,” said Flick when asked about De Jong, who has been on the sidelines with a long-term ankle issue.
The midfielder will now be targeting another appearance against Alaves in La Liga this weekend in what will be the team’s final match ahead of the October international break.
Despite the positive news surrounding Martinez and De Jong, Barcelona still have a number of injury issues, with Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal on the sidelines.
Barcelona are top of the La Liga table, boasting 21 points from their opening eight matches of the campaign, and they are three points ahead of the reigning champions Real Madrid.
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