Flick: "I spoke with Balde and am trying to help him regain confidence"

Flick said he has spoken with Balde to help restore his confidence after the left-back was benched against Alavés, with the defender open to leaving Barcelona in January for playing time.

Hansi Flick addressed Alejandro Balde's situation ahead of Barcelona's Champions League match against Aston Villa, saying he has spoken with the left-back to help him regain confidence. Balde was not started in Saturday's game against Alavés, with Joao Cancelo preferred at the position.

Flick adopted a supportive tone, acknowledging that lack of playing time naturally affects a player's confidence. "When you don't play often you don't have confidence, I see him train well, but we have to decide what's best for the team and Joao Cancelo is at a great level," Flick said. "I respect him greatly, he's young but a great person and very hardworking. I'm trying to help him recover his confidence. He's trying to get back to his previous level."

Balde, 23, is open to leaving Barcelona in January to secure regular minutes and rebuild his form, according to reports. The defender has a contract until 2028 and has attracted interest from English clubs, with Manchester United and Manchester City having enquired about him in the summer.