Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has seen his preparations for the midweek Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain disrupted by injuries to both Eric García and Jules Koundé.
García has been the preferred starter at right back for the majority of the season, with Koundé coming in for the last two La Liga matches as García shifted back into a central role, but Flick is now without either player for the trip to the reigning European champions.
Barcelona put a timeline of up to four weeks on García’s return from what was diagnosed as a thigh injury. An ankle sprain should see Koundé return sooner but he will miss Tuesday’s game and next weekend’s Clásico against Real Madrid remains up in the air.
“Football has these things and now I have to stop for a few days, just when matches come that we all want to play always,” García posted on social media. “It makes me angry and sad that I can’t be there, but I’ll work my best to come back as soon as possible.”
Flick does not have long to feel sorry for himself and must now construct a new defense capable of taking on a PSG outfit that boasts one of the most dangerous attacking lines around.
How Barcelona Can Cope Without García, Koundé Against PSG
With Andreas Christensen also sidelined through injury, Flick does not have too many options to choose from at the back.
The most pressing area of concern is at right back, where García and Koundé have played most of their minutes. Summer signing João Cancelo could come in here, as could 19-year-old Xavi Espart, who is a natural right back but has spent the entire season operating on the left instead.
Cancelo and Espart are both versatile enough to play on both sides and whichever does not start on the right is expected to line up on the left, with Alejandro Balde, the only natural left back in the squad, out of favor.
The loss of García also poses a problem at center back. Pau Cubarsí is an undisputed starter but Flick must now decide who plays alongside him. Gerard Martín, Cubarsí’s usual partner, limped off at the weekend with an ankle injury.
Martín has traveled with the squad and is expected to undergo a late fitness test to determine whether he is healthy enough to start, should begin on the bench or sit out altogether.
Should Martín be unable to start, that’s where things get a little more complicated. 18-year-old Álex Campos has been called up from Barça Atlètic and could be thrown into the deep end as one of just six defenders in the squad.
Flick has previously flirted with the idea of using midfielder Frenkie de Jong at center back in an emergency such as this one. The Dutchman did spend time in defense during his early days with Ajax but has almost exclusively played in midfield since his arrival in Barcelona in 2019.
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