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A pair of up-and-coming members of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona were afforded a place in the club’s first-team training setup once more on Thursday.
The pair in question? Xavi Espart, and Álvaro Cortes.
Both right-back Espart and central defender Cortes were included in Barcelona’s travelling party which made the trip to England to face Newcastle United on Tuesday.
The former, in fact, was afforded his first senior appearance off the bench late on at St. James’ Park.
And as alluded to above, two days on, Espart and Cortes remain in the thick of things in Hansi Flick’s squad.
The two young defenders were spotted amongst Barca’s star-studded senior ranks at the Ciutat Esportiva on Thursday morning.
This comes with a view to expected call-ups for both for the Blaugrana’s return to La Liga this coming weekend.
Flick and co. are primed to welcome Sevilla to the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday afternoon.
> Álvaro Cortés y Xavi Espart seguirán en dinámica de primer equipo este jueves y de cara al partido en Sevilla. Más aún con esa sobrecarga de Eric. Probablemente Flick no lo forzará y reservará para el Newcastle. Puede haber oportunidades de inicio el 15-M. Elecciones, partido… [pic.twitter.com/yHcZQ2type](https://t.co/yHcZQ2type)
>
> — Sergi Capdevila (@scapde\_45) [March 12, 2026](https://twitter.com/scapde_45/status/2032036627611111516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Conor Laird – GSFN