Hansi Flick takes a check on Xavi Espart and Patricio Pacifico after Barcelona lose Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde to injury

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick wasted no time assessing his defensive options on Wednesday, promoting teenagers Xavi Espart and Patricio Pacifico to first-team training after injuries to Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde overshadowed the 3-0 victory over Atlético.

Balde and Kounde both picked up knocks during the mid-week triumph, and the club expects to be without the pair until after the next international break. With crunch Liga fixtures looming against Athletic Club, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano, plus a Champions League date with Newcastle, Flick has turned to La Masia and Barça Atlètic for reinforcements.

Espart, an 18-year-old centre-back who has only recently returned from a long-term knee injury, was the first name on the German coach’s list. Regarded inside the club as Kounde’s natural long-term successor, the Spain youth international trained with the senior squad on Wednesday and Thursday and will hope to be in contention for minutes over the coming weeks.

Pacifico’s inclusion came as a surprise to many. The 20-year-old Uruguayan arrived on loan from Defensor Sporting in January to bolster the reserves, yet his performances for Rafa Márquez’s side have already earned him a chance to impress Flick at first-team level.

Barcelona’s medical staff are yet to set definitive return dates for Balde and Kounde, leaving Flick to shuffle his back line for at least four high-stakes matches. The coach’s swift decision to evaluate Espart and Pacifico underlines both the urgency of the situation and the confidence placed in the club’s academy pipeline.