A half‑hour into the Clasico, Barça’s right‑back Xavi Espart collapsed on the turf, clutching his right knee after a challenge from Touchaméni. The young starter, who had started the Champions League tie against PSG, wasted no time signalling the bench. Balde was ushered on as his replacement.
Meanwhile, the Catalan side’s defensive woes deepen. Eric García, Jules Koundé and Andreas Christensen are all sidelined, nursing muscle injuries in the medical room.
For Balde, the match is a massive opportunity. He’s been one of the least used players this season, logging only brief cameo appearances. His last outing came four days ago against PSG, where he slotted in at left‑back for the final stretch while Cancelo shifted to the right, totaling 16 minutes. Before that, he featured in a rout of Racing after the result was already sealed.
Balde wasn’t in Flick’s plans this summer. In my view, Flick’s handling of Balde borders on short‑sighted. Will the coach rethink his squad after Balde’s unexpected showing?