Barcelona star Alejandro Balde is expected to be afforded his very first starting berth of the campaign this coming weekend. This comes as the Blaugrana prepare to play host to Deportivo Alavés.

Hansi Flick’s troops are of course in the thick of their first major wobble of the season to date at present. After navigating their first 11 fixtures with a perfect record of 11 wins, Barca have been condemned to successive defeats at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Along the way, the defensive injury crisis in Catalunya’s capital has only continued to worsen, with all of Andreas Christensen, Eric García, Jules Koundé and Xavi Espart now sidelined.

In the process, though, the door has been opened for a forgotten member of Flick’s backline to reestablish himself in the plans of his manager.

As per a report from Diario Sport, Alejandro Balde is considered almost certain to feature from the off against Alavés this weekend, for what would be his first start of the 2026/27 campaign.

The Spaniard has been restricted to just three substitute appearances thus far this term, but with João Cancelo ready to switch to the right side of defence, Balde is all set to slot in on the left, a potentially defining moment in his Barcelona career.