BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Xavi confirmed goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss the Spanish champions’ La Liga clash with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday due to back pain.
“Tomorrow Marc can’t make it and we have full confidence in Inaki Pena, who is 100 percent ready,” Xavi told a news conference Friday.
Pena, 24, is a product of the club’s youth academy and has played for the Barcelona first team five times.
Barcelona have been beaten in their last two visits to face Rayo at Vallecas and trail surprise La Liga leaders Girona by four points.
Frenkie de Jong is available after injury but Barca will also be without tireless midfielder Gavi for the rest of the season after he suffered a cruciate ligament injury while playing for Spain last week.
In Spanish media some have looked to blame national team coach Luis de la Fuente but Xavi said the injury was not his fault.
“I have no problem with De la Fuente, it’s a problem with the calendar and too many games,” explained Xavi.
“With the age (Gavi) is, he’s played a lot of games and the calendar is full of matches, and that’s the reason for the injury, along with bad luck.”
He continued: “He’s an irreplacable player for the passion, desire and courage that he puts out there.”
Xavi has suggested changes to football’s calendar in the past to stop players leaving for international duty throughout the season, and brought it up again.
“A small solution is to play eight or nine months with the club and then have a period for European qualifiers and the Euros,” he said.
“It’s not easy that each month there’s so much travel — nine months with the club and two with the national team.”
Xavi confirms Barca ‘keeper Ter Stegen out for Rayo clash
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Xavi confirms Barca ‘keeper Ter Stegen out for Rayo clash
- “Tomorrow Marc can’t make it and we have full confidence in Inaki Pena, who is 100 percent ready,” Xavi told a news conference
- Barcelona have been beaten in their last two visits to face Rayo at Vallecas and trail surprise La Liga leaders Girona
Newcastle oust 10-man Villa from FA Cup, Man City beat Beckham’s Salford
- Both Villa and Newcastle have failed to win the competition since the 1950s
LONDON: Newcastle beat 10-man Aston Villa 3-1 thanks to a double from Sandro Tonali to reach the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday as Marc Guehi scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 2-0 victory over fourth-tier Salford.
Both Villa and Newcastle have failed to win the competition since the 1950s and another opportunity for Unai Emery’s men to end a 30-year wait for silverware vanished after a first half red card for goalkeeper Marco Bizot.
Tammy Abraham had fired the home side in front with his first goal since returning to Villa last month.
But the game swung in the Magpies’ favor when Bizot charged off his line to wipe out Jacob Murphy and deny a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Newcastle’s fightback saved the officials from an embarrassing moment becoming more controversial when Lucas Digne’s handball, that was clearly inside the box, was given as a free-kick instead of a penalty.
With VAR not in operation at this stage of the competition, the decision could not be reviewed.
But Newcastle levelled from the resulting free-kick anyway as Tonali’s strike deflected past the helpless Emi Martinez.
Tonali has been linked with a move to Arsenal come the end of the season and the Italian showed why he is in-demand with a blistering strike from outside the box to turn the tie around.
Nick Woltemade then netted his first goal in 15 games to take Newcastle, who last lifted the trophy in 1955, into the last 16.
Owned by Manchester United legends David Beckham and Gary Neville, Salford were playing in the fourth round for the first time in their history.
The League Two side were humbled 8-0 when they faced City in the third round last season, but pushed Pep Guardiola’s men far closer on Saturday.
“They defended really well, so tight and we didn’t attack the spaces the way we should. The game was flat until we scored the second goal,” Guardiola said.
City took an early lead through Alfie Dorrington’s own goal, but there were only nine minutes left when England defender Guehi delivered the decisive blow with his maiden goal since signing from Crystal Palace in January.
- Burnley gamble backfires -
Third-tier Mansfield produced the upset of the day by winning 2-1 at Premier League Burnley to reach the fifth round for the first time since 1975.
Burnley went into the game bolstered by their first league win since October over Crystal Palace in midweek, but boss Scott Parker made nine changes and the gamble backfired.
Burnley took the lead through Josh Laurent’s 21st-minute goal, but Nigel Clough’s team, who sit in mid-table in League One, staged an impressive fightback in the second half.
Rhys Oates headed in the equalizer in the 53rd minute and Louis Reed capped a fine individual performance with a brilliant free-kick 10 minutes from full-time.
Ten-man West Ham edged through as the in-form Crysencio Summerville clinched a 1-0 win at League One Burton after extra-time.
Freddie Potts was sent off soon after Summerville’s strike in the first period of extra-time, but the Premier League strugglers held on to survive a gruelling fourth round clash.
After eliminating Manchester United in round three, Brighton are aiming to deliver another upset when they visit Liverpool later at Anfield.
