Three Youth League Final Fours in a row

The U19 team are into another UEFA Youth League Final Four. It’s the third time in a row that they are heading for Nyon, in search of a third European crown, from April 26 to 29, where the semi-final will be against Chelsea, who defeated Dynamo Zagreb on Wednesday.

Fine form

The team topped their first round group with 11 out of 18 possible points, playing typical Barça football against the same sides that the first team played in the Champions League (Tottenham, Inter and PSV), and then comfortably beating Hertha Berlin 3-0.

Barça have been the dominant force in this relatively young competition. They won the first ever edition in 2013/14 and are now chasing the title for the third time. As is their rival in the next game, Chelsea, the only other team to have lifted the trophy twice.

From U19 to Barça B

La Masia is as strong as ever. The current Barça B squad includes a number of graduates from the Euro-conquering youth side, namely Jandro, Konrad de la Fuente, Nils Mortimer and Arnau Tenas who have all made Division 2B debuts. And captain Marqués is now alternating duties between the two sides.

Mika Marmol is a similar case. He started the season with the U19B team but made his Youth League debut on Tuesday to help cover for the many injuries in Denis Silva’s squad.