Barcelona face a genuine crisis ahead of their meeting with Paris Saint-Germain, scheduled for next Tuesday, in the Champions League.
Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde are both out of the Paris Saint-Germain match through injury, and with Andreas Christensen unavailable too, Barca coach Hansi Flick must improvise at the back.
The newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" said that Pau Cubarsi is the only centre-back who is fully ready. Gerard Martin, who finished the Real Betis match with a swollen foot, is expected to have recovered completely before the trip to the Parc des Princes.
Full-back looks just as thin. Alejandro Balde has barely featured this season, just 12 minutes against Racing, so Joao Cancelo and Xavi Espart are likely to fill the two slots.
In principle, the Portuguese player, the more experienced of the two in his unaccustomed position, will play on the left, while the Catalan will play on the right.
One emergency option for Flick is to field Rodri at centre-back.
The player returned alongside Pau Cubarsi in the closing minutes of the Real Betis versus Barcelona match after Eric Garcia asked to be substituted.
Rodri can do a job at centre-back. Luis Enrique used him there during the 2022 World Cup.
That would leave Marc Bernal and Gavi as candidates to accompany Pedri in midfield, with Frenkie de Jong yet to return after an absence of almost four months.