Scouting report: Barcelona held by Huesca
Barcelona were able to rest their big guns in their weekend La Liga match ahead of Manchester United’s visit to the Nou Camp on Tuesday.
Ernesto Valverde's side are on track to retain their domestic league title but the seemingly inevitable crowning was slowed up by their hosts, who are rooted to the foot of the table in their first ever campaign in Spain's top flight.
Barça travelled to Estadio El Alcoraz without captain Lionel Messi who was being rested for the United game; also missing were Luis Suarez and and ex-United defender Gerard Pique, who were both serving bans, as well as Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Ivan Rakitic. The trio, who all played in the first leg at Old Trafford, were reported to have knocks so didn’t face Huesca.
With so many regulars absent, Valverde gave four players their La Liga debuts for Barcelona - midfielder Riqui Puig and defenders Jean-Clair Todibo, Jeison Murillo and Moussa Wague - and the much changed side couldn’t find the net in front of 7,638 fans who had no doubt eagerly awaited the fixture since Huesca's promotion last season.
The recently injured Ousmane Dembele was an unused substitute in the first leg but he demonstrated his fitness for the second leg by starting against Huesca and playing 67 minutes before being replaced by Phillipe Coutinho.
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona: ter Stegen; Todibo, Murillo, Umtiti; Vidal; Wague, Alena (Ramos de Oliveira Melo, 81) Puig (Alba, 67), Malcom; Boateng, Dembele (Coutinho, 67).
Substitutes not used: Cillessen, Cabral Semedo, Lenglet, Ruiz.