Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman was pleased with his young players for victory over Osasuna.

Koeman was asked if this is easier given that there is a strong tradition of giving opportunities to youth in the Netherlands.

"Of course, it's easier to bring young players through in the Netherlands because the standard of the league isn't like it is here, but I think Barcelona have a lot of talent in their ranks," Koeman admitted.

"They deserve these opportunities.

"Playing youngsters isn't an excuse, though. We have to win things here. If you can do it with youngsters, even better.

"For me, the most important thing is that they're competitive. Age doesn't matter for me, it's what I see on the pitch that matters."

Barcelona have now won four matches in a row in all competitions as they strive to stay in the LaLiga Santander title race, where Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will face each other on Sunday.

"We need to keep winning," Koeman said.

"It wasn't our best game, but we were okay and we deserved to win. I'm happy.

"The run of form is important. Let's hope we can stay on the right track.

"Any result tomorrow suits us."