18-year-old Barcelona defender to benefit from Alejandro Balde’s absence against Brest – Report | OneFootball

Recent results have not exactly gone in favor of FC Barcelona as they continue to limp along. With a defeat against Real Sociedad and an unexpected draw against Celta Vigo, La Blaugrana have managed to undo a lot of their own good work. Add to that they’re growing injury concerns, and Barcelona are well and truly in for a world of hurt.

Now, ahead of their upcoming UEFA Champions League clash against French side Brest, Barcelona may have to deal with even more bad news as things continue to get worse. Alejandro Balde, the 21-year-old Barcelona left-back, is set to miss this upcoming European encounter.

Even in the last outing against Celta Vigo, Balde had to be benched and could not end up starting due to some sort of discomfort. In his place, Gerard Martin and Hector Fort took turns defending that left flank as the game ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw.

However, according to AS, the player who will benefit from this hamstring discomfort that Balde is currently feeling is none other than 18-year-old Hector Fort. The Spaniard had a promising display against Celta Vigo, and his more dynamic and direct approach to games makes him a more suitable candidate for Hansi Flick’s system.

As for Balde, the player will be given a few extra days to rest and recover since Hansi Flick does not want to take any unnecessary risks with any player. However, given how much La Blaugrana have struggled in their previous two games, they simply cannot afford any more slip-ups.

On the other side of things, Lamine Yamal remains sidelined as the youngster continues to recover from his ankle injury. Players such as Ferran Torres and Ronald Araujo have both made a partial return to group training, but their inclusion in this game would be unlikely. Eric Garcia, however, is likely to return to the squad for this upcoming Champions League game.