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Barcelona’s attempt at an unlikely comeback against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal did not yield the desired result.
Even though the Blaugrana won 3-0 on Tuesday night in the second leg, the 4-0 defeat in the first leg last month meant that they lost the tie 4-3 on aggregate and ended up getting eliminated from the cup competition.
As if it was already not bad enough, the Blaugrana also saw two important players suffer injuries during the game at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde out
Both Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde had to come off during the game with muscle injuries, and according to SPORT, they are likely to miss Barcelona’s next five matches.
Kounde was forced off after 10 minutes, after he felt discomfort in his right leg and went to the ground. Balde came on to replace the injured Frenchman, with Joao Cancelo moving to right-back from left-back.
However, in the 68th minute, with Barcelona leading 2-0, Balde signalled that he could not continue due to a hamstring issue.
Balde was taken off in the second half. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
It was an unexpected moment that forced Hansi Flick into a swift adjustment, bringing on Ronald Araujo for his 200th appearance for the club. Gerard Martin, who had started as the left-sided centre-back, moved to left-back, his natural position.
Five games out?
It is Kounde’s first injury of the season. Until now, he had played in every match except the La Liga fixture against Celta Vigo, when he remained on the bench. The Frenchman had accumulated 3,008 minutes across 40 appearances up until his injury last night.
As for Balde, this is his second injury of the season, after he had missed nearly a month back in September due to a hamstring problem. He has played 34 matches (2,447 minutes) in all competitions this term.
Both players will undergo medical tests on Wednesday. However, all indications suggest that neither will return before the international break at the end of the month.
They are therefore expected to miss five matches: the Champions League Round of 16 tie against Newcastle United and the La Liga fixtures against Athletic Club, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano.
An alternative report from Javi Miguel of AS suggests that Balde’s injury might be more severe than Kounde’s. The 22-year-old La Masia product could, thus, be out for several weeks, while the Frenchman could still make it back in time for the Newcastle United tie.