Barcelona teenager Xavi Espart set for first El Clasico at right-back
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The gist
Barcelona defender Xavi Espart, 19, is in line for his first El Clasico start after Jules Kounde was ruled out.
The La Masia graduate has just signed a new deal with a release clause above €100m.
Background
Xavi Espart is a 19-year-old Spanish full-back who joined Barcelona's La Masia academy in 2015, was converted from midfielder to full-back there, and became an official member of the senior squad this summer with squad number 12. This season he has started seven of Barcelona's nine La Liga matches at left-back, scoring two goals and providing two assists, moving ahead of Alejandro Balde in coach Hansi Flick's pecking order. He made his Champions League debut last season and his first Champions League start on Tuesday at PSG, where he scored in a 4-2 defeat. The Clasico comes with Barcelona having won all nine opening league matches, six points ahead of Real Madrid.
How it unfolded
- 2015Espart joined Barcelona's La Masia academy, born and raised in the city of Barcelona.
- 2025 -26 seasonHe made his first-team debut as a late substitute in the Champions League round of 16 first leg against Newcastle and made five further appearances.
- May 2026He was an unused substitute when Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-0 to clinch the league title.
- Oct 20, 2026Espart made his first Champions League start at the Parc des Princes and scored his first Champions League goal in a 4-2 defeat to PSG.
- Oct 21, 2026Reports said Liverpool were among several clubs who approached Espart's representatives before he signed a new Barcelona contract earlier in October, with a release clause of more than €100m (£84m).
- Oct 22, 2026In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Espart said the Clasico "will be a war".
- Oct 24, 2026Hansi Flick said Jules Kounde would not be available for El Clasico and that Espart would play right-back.
- Oct 25, 2026Espart was in contention to make his El Clasico debut at Camp Nou, provided he recovered from a minor ankle problem.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Flick said Espart did very well in recent matches, is "an incredible player" with room for improvement, and must keep proving himself.
- Expert
- Flick said he is impressed that Espart looks like he has been with the team three or four years, praising his defending against PSG's top attackers.
- Party
- Espart called the Clasico "a war" and said the team will "fight to the death" to move further ahead in points.
Still unverified
Reports that Liverpool and Arsenal are interested in Espart, and that Liverpool approached his representatives, come from TEAMtalk, cited by BBC and Empire of the Kop. Whether Espart would start El Clasico depended on his recovery from a minor ankle problem.