Barcelona call up 17-year-old Orian Goren for El Clasico

Hansi Flick has included Israeli midfielder Orian Goren in Barcelona’s squad for El Clasico after Dani Olmo was ruled out through injury.

Goren, who is 17, is expected to begin the match on the bench, although Barcelona have not ruled out giving him some playing time against their rivals.

The midfielder joined La Masia at youth level after being born in Savyon, Israel, in 2009. He normally plays as an interior midfielder, but can also operate as a playmaker or in the No. 10 role. He is an Israel Under-21 international.

Goren also has Czech nationality, meaning he does not occupy a non-EU player place. His performances for the reserve side have attracted Flick’s attention, with the Barcelona manager impressed by his quality and his ability to read matches.

He has not yet made his official debut for Barcelona. However, he featured in the Gamper, coming on to replace Xavi Espart.

Centre-back Alex Campos is another academy player named in the squad. He had already been included for the Champions League match against PSG.

Regular squad members Brian Farinas and Hamza Abdelkarim have also been selected for the match.

Barcelona’s 23-player squad is:

Goalkeepers: Joan Garcia, Livakovic and Szczesny.

Defenders: Xavi Espart, Joao Cancelo, Balde, Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Alex Campos.

Midfielders: Rodri, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin, Gavi, Marc Bernal, Brian Farinas and Orian Goren.

Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Gabriel Jesus, Raphinha, Gordon, Adeyemi and Hamza Abdelkarim.