A visibly “unhappy” Hansi Flick indicated he plans to meet with the medical team at Barcelona following hamstring injuries to Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde during Tuesday’s match against Atlético Madrid.
Both players were unable to complete the Copa del Rey semifinal, where Barça triumphed 3-0 but lost the tie 4-3 on aggregate.
Barcelona confirmed on Wednesday that Balde will be sidelined for a month, while club sources suggest Koundé is also unlikely to return before the international break in March, meaning both will miss the upcoming Champions League match against Newcastle United.
This marks the third instance of hamstring injuries for Barça within a week, as Frenkie de Jong has also been ruled out until April.
“We have two more injuries, and I am not happy about it; this is concerning,” Barça coach Flick told TV3. “With Frenkie, that’s three injuries in a week, all of the same nature. We need to address this issue.”
“We must have a discussion with the medical staff and fitness coaches to prevent losing three players to injuries in such a short time frame.”
In addition to their round-of-16 Champions League encounter with Newcastle, the three injured players will miss upcoming LaLiga matches against Athletic Club, Sevilla, and Rayo Vallecano before the international break.
This situation leaves Barça with only two fit full-backs, João Cancelo and Gerard Martín. However, Eric García, Ronald Araújo, and Marc Casadó have all played as right-backs previously.
Other players on the growing injury list include Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Andreas Christensen. Gavi has recently returned to training after a five-month absence, while Lewandowski is dealing with a fractured eye socket and Christensen is yet to receive a return date.
Koundé and Balde both picked up hamstring injuries during Barça’s near-comeback against Atlético at Spotify Camp Nou, where Marc Bernal scored twice, and Raphinha added a penalty for a 3-0 victory, though it wasn’t enough to overturn last month’s 4-0 defeat in Madrid.
Barcelona’s focus now shifts to LaLiga, where they lead rivals Real Madrid by four points, as well as their upcoming Champions League fixtures.
Flick’s team will head to St James’ Park next Tuesday for the first leg of their round-of-16 clash, with the return match scheduled for March 18 at Camp Nou.