Ahead of our first competitive fixture of the 20/21 campaign, Gerhard Struber says virtually all of his squad has a clean bill of health.
Barnsley will be without long-term absentee Ben Williams for the visit of Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup first round on Saturday, while Romal Palmer is still working his way back to full fitness.
“I’m looking forward to starting the season; everyone is ready,” began the Reds’ Head Coach. “We have every single player fit – the only one is Ben Williams; he has a big injury – but all the other players are ready for the fight on Saturday and, I hope, for the season.
“Romal had the first training on Wednesday and he showed me a good picture – he’s ready, but he’s not ready for the game on Saturday. I will give him more training time; I think the next two weeks is more for him to come back to find a good feeling from the tactical side and also the physical side.
“After that, I think he’s a big topic for our squad to show me, especially in the games after lockdown, that he’s a very important player for Barnsley.”
The last time we faced Forest, Patrick Schmidt bagged a last gasp winner in South Yorkshire to keep our survival hopes alive.
Sabri Lamouchi’s side will be looking to put the pain of last season behind them and Struber is eagerly anticipating facing one of the bigger clubs in the division.
“These games against big opponents is always helpful for development in the style of football,” continued the Austrian. “Every single player has the chance to show they are the right player for the first 11 and this is what I want and this is what I will see on Saturday.
“It’s a very good opponent, a big opponent, and we have a chance to show a very good game and I hope everyone understand this our last game before the season starts. We have big goals and we have the chance to come close with the style, and we will see the output after the game.”
You can watch Gerhard’s full press conference on iFollow Barnsley.
