"They are my friends" - Japan star names Barcelona duo as his favorite players in the Spain national team 

Japan star Takefusa Kubo has revealed that Barcelona pair Ansu Fati and Eric Garcia are his favorite players in the Spain national team.

Japan and Spain have both been placed in Group E at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, alongside Germany and Costa Rica. Japan will begin their FIFA World Cup campaign with a clash with Germany on 23 November, and hours later, Spain will commence theirs against Costa Rica. Japan and Spain will square off on matchday three at the Khalifa International Stadium on 1 December.

Kubo, who spent four years (2011–2015) at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, spoke to the press ahead of Japan’s World Cup opener against Germany. When asked to pick his favorite Spanish players, the 21-year-old unhesitantly picked Fati and Garcia, players he had played alongside at La Masia. The Real Sociedad forward said (via Marca):

“I would choose Eric or Ansu because they are my friends.

“I don’t remember how long I’ve known them, but Eric was already there [at the Barcelona academy] when I arrived and Ansu, I think he came a year later.”

In 2015, Kubo returned to his country and joined FC Tokyo. Four years later, he returned to Spain, signing for Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Currently plying his trade at Sociedad, Kubo has featured in 17 games this season across competitions, scoring twice and providing four assists.

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Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo won’t play Uruguay’s first two 2022 FIFA World Cup games

Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo will not play Uruguay’s first two Group F games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Mundo Deportivo has claimed (via Barca Blaugranes).

Araujo, who underwent thigh surgery in September, sped up his recovery to be included in Uruguay’s 26-man World Cup squad. It has been claimed that a Barca physio traveled with the Uruguayan squad to track Araujo’s recovery.

Furthermore, it has been claimed that Barca agreed upon a deal with Uruguay, ensuring that Araujo won’t be risked in the group stage fixtures. However, in light of his fast-tracked recovery, it was initially feared that he could be deployed in the matchday two clash against Portugal.

Mundo Deportivo, however, has deflated the speculation, insisting that Araujo will not appear in the games against South Korea and Portugal. There is, however, an outside chance of him appearing in the final group stage game against Ghana on December 2.