Four rising La Masia stars catching Hansi Flick’s eye before Real Madrid clash
Four rising La Masia stars catching Hansi Flick’s eye before Real Madrid clash Even with most of his senior players available again, Hansi Flick is continuing to place his trust in La Masia ahead of the crucial clash between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid this weekend. According to reports from SPORT , four Barça Atlètic players have been heavily involved in first-team preparations for El Clasico. Goalkeeper Eder Aller, defenders Xavi Espart and Alvaro Cortes, along with midfielder Tommy Marques, have all trained under Flick this week, and some could even feature in the squad on Sunday.
Barcelona’s injury situation has improved significantly in recent days. Apart from Lamine Yamal and Andreas Christensen, there are no major absentees. Despite that, Flick has continued to involve academy players during training sessions after the recent defeat against Osasuna.
Focus on youth team players One of the biggest names attracting attention internally is Eder Aller. Few Barça Atlètic players could get minutes if the title is secured in El Clasico. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) The 18-year-old goalkeeper recently renewed his contract until 2028 and is viewed as one of the brightest young prospects coming through La Masia.
Meanwhile, both Espart and Marques have already made their first-team debuts under Flick. The German is believed to value Espart highly because of his defensive awareness and intelligent decision-making at right-back. Furthermore, Alvaro Cortes is still waiting for his senior debut, but the defender has already received several call-ups this season in both La Liga and Europe, showing the level of trust Flick has in him.
It is said that if Barcelona secure the La Liga title soon, the final games of the season against Deportivo Alaves, Real Betis, and Valencia could provide valuable opportunities for these youngsters to earn more minutes with the senior side. For now, the focus is on securing a win over Real Madrid, and once that happens, the focus will move towards achieving the historic 100-point tally.