FC Barcelona’s president shows faith in young players vs. Real Madrid

Riyadh, Jan 12 (EFE).- Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta on Wednesday said the club’s hopes against their arch-nemesis Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal rely on the young players.

“We’ve got our hopes up for this game, against Madrid, today’s semifinal, because we know we have the strength of our young talent,” Laporta told journalists in the vicinity of Riyadh’s Narcissus Hotel, where the Barcelona team is staying.

“We were finally able to register Ferran Torres, which helps us have a more competitive squad,” he added.

Struggling with salary budget restraints, the Catalan club managed to register the Spanish forward last night, over a couple of weeks after announcing the deal.

The move was made possible thanks to French defender Samuel Umtiti, who agreed to cut his salary as he signed a contract extension with the club until 2026.

Registering Torres was not the only good news Barcelona got ahead of the Classico.

“We also have team members who are rejoining after their injuries, which makes us stronger,” Laporta said.

Ansu Fati and Pedro Gonzalez, best known as Pedri, will be available for the game, scheduled for later in the day at Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd International Stadium.

“I insist, I think we have a very important trump card, youth,” Laporta added.

Barcelona are sixth in La Liga table with 32 points from 20 games, 17 behind leader Real Madrid. EFE

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