Elche's Spanish forward #11 German Valera and Barcelona's French defender #23 Jules Kounde fight for the ball during the Spanish league football match between Elche CF and FC Barcelona at thge Martinez Valero stadium in Elche on January 31, 2026. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty ImagesGill ClarkSun, February 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC·1 min readBarcelona defender Jules Kounde played down fears he suffered an injury late on in Saturday’s win over Elche.
Kounde was replaced late on and looked to have picked up a knock. He was quizzed by the media afterwards and insisted, “it’s fine, it’s fine.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBarcelona now go on to play a Copa del Rey tie with Albacete, a game in which Flick may well decide to rotate a little and give some fringe players more game time.
Flickk was asked about Kounde, and Raphinha who else went off, after the win over Elche but did not seem too worried.
“Let’s hope they’re okay. Raphinha was supposed to play 60 minutes because he was already feeling fatigued, but in the end we decided he’d only play 45,” he said. “He’s tired, but I think he’s fine. The same goes for Koundé; he felt something, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow, but let’s hope they’re both okay and it’s nothing serious.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJanuary signing Joao Cancelo will be hoping to start against Albacete and could come in for Kounde on Tuesday night if needed.
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