Barcelona call on Alejandro Balde to revive his season after Espart injury

Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde has been given an unexpected opportunity to rebuild his standing under manager Hansi Flick after Xavi Espart was ruled out for almost seven weeks with an ankle injury.

Espart suffered damage to his right ankle during Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the latest El Clasico. His absence leaves Flick with another defensive problem as Barcelona prepare to continue their La Liga campaign, including Saturday’s meeting with Deportivo Alaves on 31 October 2026.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Balde, 23, could now receive a second chance after previously falling out of favour with Flick. The Barcelona academy graduate came close to leaving the club during the summer, but rejected approaches from Manchester United and other clubs because he wanted to succeed at Barcelona.

Balde was not included in Flick’s plans before the opening round of the season. Speaking at a news conference, the manager said: “I spoke to Alejandro Balde this morning. I think he is not fully fit, and he is not here, so I decided to keep him in Barcelona.”

Flick added: “I asked him to think about it and clear his mind. We will speak again tomorrow.”

After 10 rounds, Espart’s injury, Eric Garcia’s absence and continuing uncertainty over Jules Kounde’s availability could give Balde another opening. Kounde trained separately from the rest of the squad on Wednesday.

Flick had already turned to Balde during the Clasico, sending him on after Espart went down injured following a challenge with Aurelien Tchouameni around 30 minutes into the game. Balde could now be selected from the start against Deportivo Alaves.

Balde’s long wait for a league start

If he returns to the starting XI, Balde will end a spell of more than five months on the bench. One possible change would see Cancelo move to the right, while Brian Farinas is another option to replace him.

Balde’s last league start came on 23 May, when Barcelona played their final La Liga match at Mestalla after already securing the title. Barcelona lost 3-1, although Balde completed the entire game.

Since then, he was not included in Barcelona’s squad for the opening round of La Liga and remained an unused substitute in seven matches. He finally returned to action for 60 minutes against Real Madrid last Sunday.

His other league involvement this season has been limited to 12 minutes in Barcelona’s 7-2 win over Racing Santander at Camp Nou and 16 minutes at Parc des Princes in Paris against Paris Saint-Germain.

Balde’s future remains uncertain ahead of the next winter transfer window. His immediate chance to change that situation rests on producing one of his best performances against Deportivo Alaves on Saturday and convincing Flick that he should remain part of the Barcelona squad.