Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has 4 options to replace Alejandro Balde against Inter | OneFootball

Barcelona looks as if they will be without starting left-back Alejandro Balde in Milan as they take on Inter in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night, leaving manager Hansi Flick with something of a selection dilemma. Here are his options for the big match.

There was optimism last week that Balde would be back in time, as his recovery approaches four weeks from a grade two muscle injury, but over the weekend that optimism has faded. Inter were most effective down the right side, with Denzel Dumfries causing issues for the Blaugrana defence.

Gerard Martin: The continuity candidate

As per Sport, the fact that Martin played the whole match against Real Valladolid has been taken as a sign that he will not be trusted for a second time against Dumfries. He struggled to deal with the Dutchman in the first leg and was subbed at half-time, with Inigo Martinez moving to left-back.

He has the size to deal with Inter’s aerial threat, but looked out of his depth in the first leg. That said, he is also the most natural option for Flick.

Image via David Ramos / Getty Images

Inigo Martinez: The favourite, but at what cost?

Multiple reports emerged on Sunday that Inigo Martinez was being considered as an emergency option on the left side. The Basque defender has played there against Real Madrid and Inter in recent weeks, and did not suffer defensively to the same degree.

His presence does reduce any overlapping threat for Barcelona though, and forces a major reshuffle. Pau Cubarsi and Martinez are a proven concept in central defence, and that shift requires Cubarsi to play on the left side to accommodate Ronald Araujo.

Hector Fort: The most obvious candidate – last season

It seems highly unlikely that Hector Fort would be thrown into this game at left-back, even if he performed well there for Xavi Hernandez last season against Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid away from home. Flick has not shown the same trust in him though, and although he looked fine against Mallorca at left-back, it will not have helped his case that he suffered defensively against Real Valladolid in his more natural right-back spot.

Ronald Araujo: The element of surprise

Ronald Araujo seems more likely to play at right-back or centre-back, but did play the odd game there for Xavi too. The Uruguayan can struggle playing the ball out, and doing so not on his natural side might perturb him, but Araujo defensively may be the most cut out to deal with Dumfries.

Certainly in terms of pace and power, Araujo has the edge on anyone else in the Blaugrana squad, and in the air, he would be able to compete with the Dutchman too. It is a risk though, being an unnatural position for him.