Barcelona have managed to overcome their latest hurdle in the form of Athletic Bilbao. With three important points secured, Barça have done what was needed and expected of them. However, the Catalan giants can not dwell on this victory for too long, as important clashes still remain up ahead.
Their next test will be in the UEFA Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk. As La Blaugrana awaits their Ukrainian opponents at the Montjuic Stadium, there are certain logistical issues worth mentioning. Primarily, they involve the unfortunate ineligibility of a particular youngster to take part in the game.
Ineligible for Shakhtar
As highlighted by SPORT, 18-year-old midfielder Unai Hernandez will be ineligible to participate in the Champions League for now. According to UEFA’s rulings, a player has to have been with a club for two years before they are eligible to be put into the B list of any matchday squad.
This rule is only applicable to the B list of any squad, as the A list of first-team players is always eligible. However, since Unai arrived in 2022, he will unfortunately have to miss out on the opportunity to help out Barcelona against Shakhtar.
Gavi also set to miss out
Perhaps this news is even more disheartening for the player and fans given Barcelona star Gavi’s suspension. In the last Champions League outing against Porto, Gavi ended the game being expelled from the field with a second yellow and will hence miss this game against Shakhtar at home.
This would have opened up a great opportunity for Unai Hernandez, considering that many of the other midfield stars are currently injured. The talented youngster will now have to wait for La Liga action to represent the first team. In the meantime, Marc Guiu and Hector Fort will both be registered to take part in the clash against Shakhtar without any problems.
