Barcelona bench vs Shakhtar Donetsk features five players who have never played in the UCL

Barcelona host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Estadi Olimpic de Lluis Companys later today in their third group stage game of the UEFA Champions League.

The Blaugrana have won both their opening games in the competition, and a win tonight would place them well for a table-top finish.

Yet, the three points will not come easy for Xavi Hernandez’s men. After all, the squad is currently reeling with injuries in the tight schedule and the coach has just 12 first-team players at his disposal.

A novice bench

A direct consequence of the team’s precarious injury situation is seen on Barcelona’s bench for the clash against Shakhtar Donetsk tonight. After all, the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Jules Kounde and Raphinha are unavailable.

Xavi has, thus, called up a large contingent from the academy to make up the numbers and provide solutions on the night.

Notably, five of the players on the Azulgranas’ bench have never played for the club in the UEFA Champions League before. On the aforementioned list are Ander Astralaga, Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, Aleix Garrido and Marc Guiu.

Astralaga, the backup goalkeeper, is yet to make his debut for the senior Barcelona side in any competition. Cubarsi and Fort, the academy’s young defensive talents, also sail the same boat and await their debuts.

Options with minimal experience

While three of the players on the list have never played for Xavi’s side, there are a few players on the bench to have played for the club in La Liga.

Inaki Pena, Barcelona’s first-choice backup goalkeeper, has featured for the time several times in recent seasons.

Aleix Garrido, who most recently featured in the first team’s preseason clash against AC Milan, debuted for the team in La Liga last season against Elche.

Marc Guiu is another young gun from the academy to have left his mark on Xavi’s side, albeit more recently. The teenager scored the winner for the Catalans against Athletic Club and is a serious option to come off the bench.

The manager also has Marc Casado on the bench, a 20-year-old midfield talent who has not played many minutes for the first team thus far. Notably, however, he made his UCL debut with the senior setup in last season’s group-stage clash against Viktoria Plzen.