19-year-old defender handed first Barcelona start for Villarreal showdown | OneFootball

Barcelona are currently amidst a hectic fixture schedule, with seven matches in only 21 days. Their latest test is against Villarreal at La Ceramica, and despite it being one of the hardest match-ups that they will have during this run, Hansi Flick has opted to make significant changes.

The headline news is that Pau Cubarsi has been rested, and the same goes for Alejandro Balde – their replacement are Sergi Dominguez, who makes his first start for the Barcelona first team, and Gerard Martin. Pablo Torre also earns a chance from the get-go, as he comes in for Marc Casado.

It was inevitable that Barcelona would need to rest players at some stage, but doing so against an opposition as good as Villarreal is very risky. Having two young defenders in Dominguez and Martin could go one of two ways, and Flick will be hoping that it is a gamble that plays off in a big way.