Copa Catalunya: Barça Faces Espanyol with Young Squad
The young players will have a chance to showcase their skills and potentially make their debut in the first team, while the Copa Catalunya continues to face criticism for its format and relevance to the main Catalan clubs.
Hansi Flick has called up seven young players from La Masía to train with the first team ahead of the derby against RCD Espanyol, due to the scarcity of players available due to injuries and the Copa Catalunya competition.
The seven young players, including Jofre Torrents, Landry Farré, Alexis Olmedo, Rubén López, Eder Aller, Joan Anaya, and Raúl Dacosta, will have the opportunity to train with the first team and potentially make their debut. Most of these players are part of the Barça B team, which is currently fighting to maintain its position in the Primera RFEF.
The Barça defense is currently weakened due to injuries and the departure of Ronald Araujo, which could lead to opportunities for the young players to make their mark. Meanwhile, the FC Barcelona will play the semifinal of the Copa Catalunya on Wednesday without any players from the first team, with the Barça Atlètic coach, Sergi Milà, leading the team with a selection of players from the B team and the Juvenil A and B teams.
The Copa Catalunya has been criticized for being irrelevant to the main Catalan clubs, especially in a season where the FCF reformulated the competition format to have professional teams compete against amateur teams. The derby between Espanyol and Barça will likely confirm the insignificance of the tournament.