Barcelona defensive crisis puts Brian Farinas in line for Alaves start

Barcelona could hand Brian Farinas his first appearance for the senior team against Deportivo Alaves on Saturday, with the youngster included in the expected line-up for the La Liga fixture at Spotify Camp Nou.

The proposed selection, reported by Spanish newspaper Marca, comes as Hans Flick deals with a serious shortage of defensive options. Farinas has not yet played for Barcelona’s first team, but the manager has been impressed by his performances in training and blocked a move to Girona during the summer.

Flick has previously praised the 18-year-old’s intelligence and his ability to operate in several positions. Speaking at his news conference on Friday, the German manager also said Farinas deserved the opportunity to play.

Barcelona’s defensive problems have worsened with the confirmation that Jules Kounde will miss the match because of an ankle injury. Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Chadi Riad are also unavailable, according to the reports surrounding the team.

AS reported that Flick had not recovered any of his injured players in time for the meeting with Alaves. Mundo Deportivo, meanwhile, said Farinas had already been tested at right-back during training, with Joao Cancelo used on the left.

Marca expects Barcelona to line up with Joan Garcia in goal, Farinas, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Cancelo in defence, followed by Rodri and Pedri in midfield.

Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon and Raphinha are expected to form the attacking unit.

Barcelona remain top of La Liga with 27 points, while Alaves sit seventh on 12 points. Flick’s side will be seeking a response after losing their past two matches.

They were beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League before suffering a 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid in La Liga.