Barcelona preparation for their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter Milan has hit a serious snag, with their manager, Hansi Flick, needing to deal with a serious problem in reworking his defensive plan.
Barcelona is expected to have its near full squad available for the match at the San Siro, but Alejandro Balde has forced a reshuffle.
Reports from AS have confirmed that 21-year-old left-back Alejandro Balde will effectively not be playing the match against Inter because of injury, which is certainly a blow for Flick.
Balde’s prospects of playing had been relatively positive as recently as last week, when many expected the left-back would play in Barcelona’s La Liga match against Real Valladolid to regain some game fitness.
However, concerns soon emerged when Balde appeared to have discomfort after Thursday’s training.
As it turned out, he was not selected in the squad against Valladolid leading up to the Inter match; following final medical checks, it was confirmed that Balde would not play against Inter, as there would be no reason to risk him so close to Tuesday’s match.
It would be a big loss for them to be without Balde, who has plenty of pace, attacking flair and is defensively sound against elite opponents.
Without him, Flick’s preferred float on the flanks has to change, and the German head coach may be forced to use a more traditional four across the backline to defend against Inter’s attack.
It is now just a matter of hoping for Balde’s recovery for the El Clasico against Real Madrid on May 11, a critical assignment in Barcelona’s plan to lift La Liga.
Flick has to wait now if he wants to rush Balde back from injury for a tense final of the Champions League knockout, with no other options to satisfy whichever defensive needs he sees fit.
As Barcelona prepares for one of their most consequential games of the season, losing their young wing-back highlights everything the Spanish club has to deal with in their chase for European silverware.
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