Luis de la Fuente, coach of the Spanish national team, reassured FC Barcelona about its young player, “Lamin Yamal,” and the rest of the players joining the team, before the friendly match that will bring them together in Egypt on Tuesday, as part of the teams’ preparations for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
In a press conference held on Monday, on the eve of the friendly match that will be held at Espanyol Stadium in Barcelona, de la Fuente stated: “We will make changes to the starting lineup against Egypt, and we decided that after the last friendly match against Serbia, but we will go into the confrontation with a competitive team because we want to continue victories, and the players are required to present their best performance now because they are with the national team.”
The Spanish coach continued, saying: “The Egypt match is very important for us, and we will emerge from it with positive indicators regarding the team’s roster in the World Cup, although there are changes that will occur during the next two months, and it is not possible to think about what will happen at the end of the current season. Rather, I am focusing on the near future.”
When asked whether Lamine Yamal would start against Egypt, the Spain coach replied: “We will see what happens, but if we want to field a strong team, Yamal will be a starter. We will see what the match will require. I think about all the players and not just one player, and I understand that every club has specific interests, but I think about everyone and deal with them equally.”
De La Fuente stressed: “I must take into account my responsibility to build a strong team. I appreciate the passion of Barcelona and its fans in caring for their team, but I am also thinking about my team, and just as they sympathize with their club, I ask them to sympathize with me.”
The Spain coach concluded his speech by saying: “Barcelona players take risks just like Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid players. This is football, and I believe that the presence of 7 Barcelona players in the national team is good news for them and for Spanish football.”
