Barcelona starter faces fitness tests after suffering injury against Benfica | OneFootball

Barcelona came away with an invaluable 1-0 win away in Lisbon on Wednesday night against Benfica, defeating the Eagles despite being down to ten men for 70 minutes. The Catalan giants ran themselves into the ground, but not without cost.

While he was moved up to left wing for the closing moments of the game following the introduction of Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde finished the game with an ankle issue according to MD. The 21-year-old was seen indicating as much to Inigo Martinez during the game, and his injury is described as a ‘strong blow’ to the area.

He is set for tests back in Barcelona and a nervous wait to see how serious the injury is. As things stand, Balde is a major doubt for the Blaugrana’s home clash with Osasuna on Saturday night, and no doubt Hansi Flick and company will have one eye on the return leg against Benfica on Tuesday, with just six days between the two clashes. Meanwhile Inigo Martinez, who was stood on by Leandro Barreiro, has not suffered an injury, but will undergo treatment to deal with the pain, and could also miss the Osasuna clash as a precaution.

Image via Gerard Martin

If Balde does face any time on the sidelines, it looks likely that Martin will deputise for him. That was the case against Real Sociedad last weekend, as Balde was rested, where the 22-year-old played arguably his best game yet for the Blaugrana, scoring the opening goal in the process. Martin was a surprise addition to the senior squad this year after impressing Flick in preseason.

There is little doubt that Balde’s return to his best has been a key factor in Barcelona’s improvement this year though, and already he has racked up 35 appearances, a goal and six assists this season. Of those, 30 have been starts, and Balde has only been on the bench for just two of their nine European outings. Martin is seen as a more limited option at left-back, and more defensively minded, but he has been showing improved form of late.