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Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has denied that his team behave worse toward match officials than any other side. Javier Mascherano could be banned for four games, including the Nov. 21 Clasico at Real Madrid, after he was sent off for insulting an assistant referee's mother during Sunday's 3-1 La Liga win at home to Eibar at the Camp Nou. Barca have appealed the red card, and club figures and La Liga president Javier Tebas have both claimed that a long suspension would be unfair given the Argentina international did not direct the comments to anyone in particular, and that the words uttered would not be so insulting in his home country. La Liga saw a similar incident previously when Barca defender Gerard Pique was sidelined for four games earlier in the season after he was found guilty of insulting an assistant referee [with different words] during August's Supercopa defeat to Athletic Bilbao. The Blaugrana coach said ahead of Wednesday's Copa del Rey last-32 first leg at Villanovense that he had discussed the issue with his squad but did not believe that any further internal measures were necessary. "I was able to speak with Masche, the whole team spoke, and I believe there is an improvement in my players' behaviour," Luis Enrique said. "I do not see anything strange in their behaviour, apart from the typical protests of each game, which happen with all teams and all players. The ban will be what the [officials] think it should be, it does not matter what I think." Stars Andres Iniesta, Neymar, Sergio Busquets, Mascherano, Gerard Pique, Claudio Bravo and Luis Suarez have all been omitted in the bare-minimum, 16-man squad for Wednesday's game at third-tier Villanovense -- a fixture which has been brought forward due to Barca's commitments at December's Club World Cup. Luis Enrique said he would have given more kids a chance, but the rules of the competition limited his hand. "I would have liked to rest more [senior] players and for them not to have to travel," he said. "But well, the rules are the rules, and tomorrow you will see the XI. For all that I would like to give more chances to the youth players, only four can play. There must always be seven first-team players on the pitch." Sergi Samper, Gerard Gumbau, Aitor Cantalapiedra and Wilfrid Kaptoum are the four Barca B youngsters included, while squad players including Douglas, Thomas Vermaelen, Adriano Correia, Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez are all set to start. "Kaptoum is an attacking midfielder with quality in the Barca style, and the possibility to play between the lines, an interesting player," Luis Enrique said. "Aitor is a winger who can play either side. I am bringing both, along with [midfielders] Samper and Gumbau to be able to use them." Iniesta was reported to be close to a return from injury for the Eibar game last Sunday, and Luis Enrique said nothing should be read into the club captain not making the trip for Wednesday's game. "Nothing strange is going on with Iniesta, nothing except a player who has just recently returned to training with the group," he said. "We are not going to take any risks. When the players are perfectly ready, is when they are available. They can train with the group during the last phase [of recovery]. When Andres says he feels 100 percent will be when we add him to the list."
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