Barcelona have confirmed that Jules Kounde suffered a thigh injury during Wednesday's Champions League clash with Inter Milan.
The France international had to be replaced in the latter stages of the first period against the Italian giants after pulling up with an injury.
The Catalan giants have revealed that the defender damaged his left thigh in the semi-final first leg, and the team will now be without the services of one of their most important players at a key stage of the campaign.
"Tests carried out this morning have shown that the first team player Jules Kounde has a distal injury to the biceps femoris of the left thigh. The return to the team will be decided based on his progress," read an official statement from Barcelona.
The club have not revealed a timeframe in terms of a potential recovery, but according to journalist Javi Miguel, Kounde is likely to be on the sidelines for the next three weeks.
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Barcelona defender Kounde 'set to miss the next three weeks'
A spell of three weeks on the sidelines would mean that Kounde would miss Barcelona's next five matches, including next week's Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter in Italy.
The 26-year-old would also be absent for the next four La Liga games against Real Valladolid, Real Madrid, Espanyol and Villarreal, before potentially making his return against Athletic Bilbao on May 24.
Kounde therefore has a strong chance of being available for the Champions League final on May 31, should Barcelona make it, with the Catalan side bidding to book a spot in the showpiece event against either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal.
The Frenchman has been a vital player for Barcelona during the 2024-25 campaign, making 53 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and registering eight assists in the process.
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Who will replace Kounde in the Barcelona side?
Barcelona are not exactly well-covered when it comes to the right-back spot, with the back-up in that position proving to be 18-year-old Hector Fort, but it remains to be seen whether head coach Hansi Flick trusts him to start at this stage of the season.
Eric Garcia interestingly replaced Kounde at right-back against Inter on Wednesday night, suggesting that he could now feature in that position while the first choice in that area of the field is on the sidelines.
Pau Cubarsi or Ronald Araujo also have experience in that area, so one of those could start, with the other featuring alongside Inigo Martinez in the middle of the back four.
Barcelona are also currently without the services of their first-choice left-back Alejandro Balde, but the Spain international allegedly has a chance of being back in the squad for the clash with Real Valladolid on Saturday.
Matt Law
