17-year-old Barcelona youngster in line to make his third start of the season – report

Barcelona youngster Hector Fort has had two opportunities to play as a starter, first of which came against Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Champions League and the second, against Barbastro.

In both of his outings, the 17-year-old right-back has impressed his manager to the extent that he will get to start his third match for Barcelona when they take the field against Unionistas in Copa del Rey Round of 16 tonight, reports SPORT.

The outlet claims that he will be a starter for Barcelona regardless of his playing position. Ideally, Xavi would want him to start at his natural right-back position, but if the manager decides to rest Alejandro Balde, Sergi Roberto will be used on the right and Fort will be moved to the left.

Xavi has reasons to trust Hector

Following the absence of Ronald Araujo and Joao Cancelo, and considering the commendable performance in Barbastro, Xavi might once again place his trust in Hector. 

This time around, he could have more opportunities to occupy his preferred role as a right-back. However, it’s also plausible that Xavi may opt to give Balde some rest, especially with an eye on Sunday’s match against Real Betis. 

In such a scenario, Roberto could shift to the right side, while Fort takes up the left-back position. 

Interestingly enough, Fort is versatile enough to function as a centre-back as well, showcasing robust physicality and valuable experience, but Xavi is more than covered in this position.

The upcoming cup clash against Unionistas will see rotations in the Barça lineup, as Xavi is expected to make strategic changes. Despite the alterations to the starting XI, the coach is adamant about including all available players in the squad, except for specific cases. 

Given the long list of injuries, though, players like Fort, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Casado, and Marc Guiu attended the training session leading upto the game and these players are likely to feature tonight.