Barcelona's Bryan Fariñas Steps Up Amid Injury Crisis Before Alavés Clash

Barcelona arrive at matchday 11 of La Liga on top of the table, but they do so held together by tape and faith. The leaders are down to the bare bones at the back, and into that gap steps a name that has never appeared on a first-team teamsheet: Bryan Fariñas.

Spanish daily "Marca" report that the 19-year-old is set to start in defence against Deportivo Alavés at the Spotify Camp Nou, a bold call from Hansi Flick on a night when the margin for error is shrinking.

Flick’s gamble in a broken back line

This is not a romantic debut in a dead rubber. It is necessity. Barcelona’s defensive crisis is severe: Jules Koundé is out with an ankle injury, Andreas Christensen is unavailable, Eric García is missing, and Xavi Espart is also sidelined.

"AS" confirm that Flick has not recovered a single one of his injured defenders in time for Alavés. The cupboard stayed empty, so the coach went to the academy shelves.

Fariñas has impressed Flick on the training pitches, enough that the German blocked a move to Girona in the summer. The coach has spoken publicly about the youngster’s intelligence and ability to adapt across multiple positions, and in his press conference yesterday he underlined that the defender has earned this opportunity.

The preparation has been specific. According to "Mundo Deportivo", Flick has already tested Fariñas at right-back in training, with João Cancelo flipping over to the left. It is a rearranged back line born of crisis, not design.

The expected XI: youth, improvisation and a statement

"Marca" outline the side they expect Flick to send out under the Camp Nou lights:

• Joan García
• Bryan Fariñas
• Pau Cubarsí
• Gerard Martín
• João Cancelo
• Rodri
• Pedri
• Lamine Yamal
• Fermín López
• Anthony Gordon
• Raphinha

It is a line-up that carries a clear message. Experience in key creative zones, but a back four stitched together with trust in youth and positional flexibility. Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín alongside Fariñas give the defence a distinctly raw feel, with Cancelo asked to anchor the line from the left.

Ahead of them, the blend is more familiar. Pedri to dictate, Rodri to connect, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha to stretch, Fermín López to attack the box, Anthony Gordon to drive at defenders. Barcelona may be patched up at the back, but there is no shortage of firepower further forward.

Top spot under pressure

On paper, Barcelona still look strong. They sit first in La Liga with 27 points. Alavés arrive in seventh with 12, enjoying a solid start but still outsiders in this kind of fixture.

The context, though, changes everything. Flick’s side are not strolling into this game; they are reeling. A 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League was followed by a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in La Liga. Two big games, two bruising defeats. The mood has shifted.

This meeting with Alavés now carries a different weight. It is not just about preserving top spot. It is about halting a slide before it gathers speed, about proving that this Barcelona can absorb blows and respond.

For Fariñas, it is something else again. A debut in the middle of a defensive emergency, with a league lead to defend and recent scars still fresh. If he handles it, the youngster doesn’t just fill a gap; he changes the conversation about Barcelona’s depth for the rest of the season.