Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí offered a candid response following his side’s 2-1 La Liga defeat to Real Madrid at the Estadio Camp Nou, insisting that fixture congestion cannot be used as an excuse for the loss.

A brace from Kylian Mbappé sealed the victory for Los Blancos, ending Barcelona’s 100% start to their league title defense on a high-stakes night in Catalonia.

Despite Barcelona’s backline struggling to contain Real Madrid’s rapid transitions during their fifth match in just 15 days following the international break, the young center-back took full responsibility for the performance.

“I don’t want to use this as an excuse, but the schedule has been extremely packed. We’ve had a lot of matches and played a lot of minutes,” Cubarsí stated post-match.

“It’s natural to feel some fatigue, but we can’t use that to justify the defeat.”

Barcelona will look to reset quickly as they prepare to host Alavés in La Liga on October 31.