A member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona is set to be afforded a potentially considerable uptick in playing time over the weeks ahead. This comes owing to the latest personnel setback in Hansi Flick’s squad.
Barcelona were of course back in action on Sunday evening, welcoming arch rivals Real Madrid to Catalunya’s capital for the season’s first edition of El Clásico.
En route to an eventual 2-1 defeat, the Blaugrana saw Xavi Espart forced off through injury during the first-half. Following a round of medical tests carried out on Monday morning, the 19-year-old was in turn ruled out for the bulk of the next two months.
This means that, at the back, Barcelona are now without all of Espart, Andreas Christensen, Eric García and Jules Koundé.
And this situation, all told, points towards an imminent increase in minutes on the pitch for one member of Hansi Flick’s squad: Alejandro Balde.
With João Cancelo likely to spend time filling in at right-back over the coming weeks, Balde – handed just his third appearance of the season on Sunday – is set to be afforded a golden opportunity to reestablish himself in the plans of boss Flick and his staff at left-back.
Conor Laird – GSFN
