Lamine Yamal loses two key teammates as Barcelona confirm Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde injuries for weeks
Barcelona imposed their high offensive tempo against Atlético Madrid, securing a 3-0 victory thanks to an outstanding performance by Marc Bernal. Despite this, they failed to level the aggregate score and were eliminated from the Copa del Rey. In addition, Lamine Yamal faced disappointing news as he lost two key teammates. The Blaugrana announced that Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé sustained injuries, ruling them out for several weeks.
After the match against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona announced that Alejandro Balde suffered an injury to the distal biceps femoris of his left thigh. Because of this, he will have to be out for about four weeks. Moreover, Jules Koundé was also diagnosed with an injury to the mid-third of the biceps femoris of his left thigh. While they did not provide an estimated recovery time for the Frenchman, Diario Sport states that he will be out for around four weeks.
With this absences, coach Hansi Flick now has five players sidelined for an extended period, as Gavi, Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong are also set to remain out until early April. In light of this, the Blaugrana will be forced to rely on youngsters such as Jofre Torrents, Marc Bernal and Marc Casadó. Moreover, João Cancelo may hold a key role as he stood out against Los Colchoneros.
Even though these absences are certainly significant, Barcelona may not have too many problems staying competitive. Throughout the season, Flick has managed to show that his deep roster can help them at any moment, which is why they remain favorites to win La Liga and to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals. In addition, the level shown by Marc Bernal and João Cancelo could prove decisive in the upcoming matches.
Robert Lewandowski could soon return to Barcelona’s roster
Throughout the 2025-26 season, Barcelona have managed to establish as one of the best offensive teams, maintaining a wide variety of scorers. Ferran Torres may have emerged as a major contributor, but his lack of effectiveness at key moments weighed heavily against Atlético Madrid. However, coach Hansi Flick could soon receive some good news amid injuries to Kounde and Balde, as Robert Lewandowski is reportedly set to return earlier than expected.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Lewandowski will be available for the match against Athletic Bilbao, as he will wear a mask following his fracture to his left eye socket. With this, the Polish striker would have one game to adapt, arriving in full shape to face Newcastle United, where he could be decisive either as a starter or coming off the bench. His early return is a definitive boost for Lamine Yamal, who regains an experienced presence in the goal-scoring side.