Boost for Barcelona: Iñigo Martínez Returns to Bolster Defense Ahead of Alavés Clash

In a significant development during the latest training session before the trip to Vitoria, Iñigo Martínez completed the session seamlessly and has been included in the squad for the upcoming match against Alavés. This marks a valuable reinforcement for Xavi, who has been juggling defensive lineups due to a barrage of injuries in recent weeks.

Marcos Alonso has been sidelined for two months, Alejandro Balde suffered an injury in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Athletic Bilbao, Andreas Christensen has been playing through weeks of discomfort and pain in the calves, and Joao Cancelo made a swift return despite not being entirely recovered from his left knee injury. Therefore, Iñigo’s return is a welcome relief for the Barcelona coach.

Iñigo Martínez received medical clearance after completing the training session and was warmly welcomed by his teammates, who celebrated his return with the traditional playful rituals. The coaching staff, having missed his presence, especially in the Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey, also expressed joy at his comeback, considering he had been sidelined with a left biceps femoris rupture.

With his return, the list of players in the infirmary now stands at eight: Marc André Ter Stegen, Marcos Alonso, Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Joao Félix, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Sergi Roberto. Xavi remains hopeful of recovering some of them for the Champions League Round of 16.

The training session also saw the inclusion of youth team full-back Albert Navarro, who made his first-team debut in early 2024 and is back in contention due to Balde’s long-term injury. Albert Navarro joined other academy players in the preparatory session alongside Ander Astralaga, Diego Kochen, Marc Casadó, Marc Guiu, Pau Cubarsí, Héctor Fort, Unai Hernández, Dani Rodríguez, and Pau Víctor, who is also a new addition to the squad.

After the recovery session on Thursday following the match against Osasuna, Xavi worked on tactical aspects with his players to counter Alavés’ transitions, which proved troublesome in the first-leg encounter at Montjuïc—a concern highlighted by the coach in the pre-match press conference.

With only twelve available players, including Iñaki Peña, Jules Koundé, Ronald Araujo, Joao Cancelo, Iñigo Martínez, Ilkay Gündogan, Frenkie de Jong, Oriol Romeu, Pedri, Fermín López, Robert Lewandowski, and Vitor Roque, as well as Lamine Yamal, now a full-fledged member of the first team despite retaining youth eligibility, the defensive lineup appears set with Koundé and Cancelo as full-backs. The central defense pairing, whether Cubarsí or Christensen alongside Araujo, remains a decision for Xavi. Fermín seems likely to be deployed as the false left-winger, especially after his impactful minutes against Osasuna in place of the injured Ferran Torres.

As such, the probable starting eleven could feature Iñaki Peña in goal; Koundé, Araujo, Christensen, Cancelo; Gündogan, De Jong, Pedri; Lamine, Lewandowski, and Fermín.