Xavi could start 18-year-old La Masia graduate at right-back against Real Madrid – report

With less than a week remaining before they lock horns with Real Madrid, the pressure is growing at FC Barcelona as they look to secure a crucial win in El Clasico.

The Catalans are coming on the back of a narrow 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo that helped them remain at the top of the table. But with several defenders still sidelined due to injury, Xavi Hernandez faces a selection dilemma.

The right-back area, in particular, remains a headache for the Barcelona coach as Hector Bellerin has been ruled out due to injury. Ronald Araujo, too, is out after undergoing surgery, while Jules Kounde is recovering from an injury, effectively leaving Sergi Roberto as the only reliable option at right-back.

However, according to Alfredo Martinez, Xavi will not depend on Roberto to operate as the right-back against Real Madrid. Instead, he is going to deploy the young Alejandro Balde in the position, as a makeshift.

This comes in the aftermath of Balde’s decent performance against Celta Vigo at the weekend. The youngster was deployed in an alien right-back role, ahead of Roberto, like he was against Mallorca a week ago.

But he did rather well, looking quite comfortable rotating the play and putting his dynamism to the fore.

Xavi will be expecting a similar level of quality from Balde when he features against Real Madrid this weekend. The La Masia graduate has been one of the finds of the season in La Liga so far, but the majority of his performances have come in his preferred left-back slot.

Hence, accustoming himself on the opposite flank, especially in the backdrop of Vinicius Junior’s presence, will be quite a challenge for young Balde.

Xavi, though, always has the option of bringing in Sergi Roberto. The Spaniard offers a lot more experience to the table, although his relative lack of mobility could serve as a bottleneck in this high-profile encounter.