Right-back, left-back, center-back, defensive midfielder, second striker. In one season at Barça Atlètic, Guillem Víctor has started in each of them, which is why coaches at the reserve team call him the joker, the one card Flick can play almost anywhere across a stripped-down back line.

The shortage behind the call-up is severe. Barcelona confirmed on 18 October that Koundé has a left ankle sprain and that García has a right thigh problem expected to need three to four weeks of recovery. Andreas Christensen is also sidelined with a left thigh injury, and Xavi Espart is set for a seven-week absence after an ankle problem in the Clásico.

That leaves Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Baldé, Gerard Martín and João Cancelo as the senior defenders available to Flick. Yahoo Sports reports that the German has already used 10 different defensive combinations in 13 competitive matches this season, and the Alavés fixture is expected to produce another new back four.

From the class of 2007 to first-team training

Víctor joined La Masia in 2017 at U-12 level, part of the same age group as Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí. He made his Barça Atlètic debut on November 2, 2025 against Girona B and has started every one of the reserve team’s eight league games this season so far.

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Listed primarily as a right-back, Víctor is a defender built on passing range and defensive discipline. According to Khelnow, he is comfortable stepping into midfield as a pivot to help bring the ball out of pressure, a profile that fits Flick’s build-up play. His older brother Pau Víctor, a former Barcelona forward, now plays for Braga in the Portuguese top flight.

The one defender who has filled every slot

Flick has no obvious senior cover for right-back if Koundé does not recover in time, and Víctor is the one player at the club who has filled every slot across the back line this season. If he features against Alavés, he will become the latest of the 2007 generation to debut for the senior side, after Yamal, Cubarsí and Marc Bernal.

Kick-off at Spotify Camp Nou is at 9pm local time on Saturday.

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