Barcelona’s defensive crisis deepens as Jules Kounde misses final El Clasico training

Jules Kounde is highly unlikely to feature for Barcelona against Real Madrid on Sunday after missing the club’s final training session before El Clasico.

The French full-back’s absence from Saturday morning’s workout has significantly reduced his chances of recovering in time for the fixture, although Barcelona have yet to confirm officially that he will be unavailable.

Kounde sustained a sprain during Barcelona’s match against Real Betis and subsequently missed their UEFA Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. His participation against Real Madrid had already been uncertain, but failing to train on the eve of the game means his exclusion now appears almost certain.

The potential loss leaves manager Hansi Flick facing the latest in a series of defensive problems. Should Kounde be ruled out, Barcelona will be without all of the injured players who remain in the treatment room for the meeting with their traditional rivals.

Alongside Kounde, Eric Garcia, Christensen, Dani Olmo and Rony are also expected to miss the match because of different fitness issues.

Flick’s biggest selection challenge is again likely to come in defence, where Barcelona are dealing with a severe shortage of available players. The situation mirrors the problems encountered in Tuesday’s encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona consider further squad options

Barcelona are expected to include Alex Campos in the travelling group once the final matchday squad is announced. He has trained with the first team throughout the week as the club contends with its growing list of absentees in defence.

Midfielder Orin Joren is also expected to be among the available options. He has worked under Flick over the past two days because of Dani Olmo’s injury.

The position of Hamza Abdelkarim remains undecided. He took part in first-team training on Saturday morning, but Barcelona must still determine whether he will be included in the squad for El Clasico or return to play for the reserve team.