Flick taps La Masia to cover six absences ahead of Barca-Alaves

Hansi Flick had to roll up his sleeves and break out the calculator before putting together his squad list to host Alaves this Saturday at the Spotify Camp Nou. With half his defense in the treatment room, the German coach didn't have much room to maneuver: what he had was what he had.

Barcelona, still LaLiga leaders despite recent stumbles against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, are looking to right the ship with a squad list marked by absences. In total there are 6 players out, and the last-minute news is that Jules Kounde, who didn't train with the group during the week, has been left off the list. He joins the already confirmed absences of Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, Xavi Espart, Dani Olmo and Rooni Bardghji.

Four of those six absences are defenders, so it's no coincidence that Flick had already signaled beforehand that this area of the squad could be reinforced in the upcoming winter transfer window. In the meantime, the club has to lean on its academy.

La Masia to the rescue

To round out the squad, the coach once again turned to Barca Atletic and called up three young players: Alex Campos, Guillem Victor and Ebrima Tunkara.

Campos is no longer a surprise. The 18-year-old center back, a product of La Masia, is in his third consecutive call-up after traveling with the team to Paris and also being named to the squad for El Clasico. He stands out for his clean distribution from the back and his strong handling of aerial duels, qualities that have made him a regular fixture for the Barca Atletic side coached by Juliano Belletti.

The other name to watch is Ebrima Tunkara, just 16 years old and considered the academy's brightest prospect. He trained with the first team this week and was present at the lunch the squad organized at the Ciutat Esportiva following the two straight defeats. Tunkara had already turned heads in preseason with the first team, though an ankle injury suffered in a friendly with Atletic kept him off the field for a month and a half. With Dani Olmo sidelined and Tunkara's versatility to play both in midfield and up front, it's not out of the question that the youngster could soon get his official debut.

The biggest surprise, though, is the inclusion of Guillem Victor, brother of Pau Victor, the former Barca player now playing for Sporting Braga. The absences of Eric Garcia, Xavi Espart and Kounde opened up a gap at right back, and that's where Guillem comes in.

The full squad list for the match against Alaves is as follows: Joan Garcia, Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Farinas, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Gabriel Jesus, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Wojciech Szczesny, Karim Adeyemi, Rodrigo, Anthony Gordon, Gerard Martin, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal, Livakovic, Abdelkarim, Tunkara, Guillem V. and Campos.