According to a report by Barca Universal on Monday, November 2, 2026, Barcelona defenders Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia are working towards returning to action for this weekend’s La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid, meaning they are expected to miss the UEFA Champions League encounter with Aston Villa.

Despite their injury problems, both players have continued individual training as they work towards regaining full fitness and rejoining the first team.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has been dealing with a difficult situation in defence following a series of setbacks. Kounde and Garcia picked up injuries during the club’s La Liga victory over Real Betis, while Gerard Martin also experienced discomfort towards the end of the match.

The defensive problems came at an unfortunate time for the Catalan club, who subsequently struggled against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Their inability to maintain defensive stability was identified as one of the factors behind those difficult encounters.

Kounde’s recovery has taken longer than initially anticipated, despite expectations that he would be fit again within a week. Garcia was previously considered likely to return earlier, but his recovery is now expected to take close to a month.

According to Jijantes FC, the two defenders trained separately from the rest of the squad during Barcelona’s latest training session. Their current condition means they are unlikely to be available for Wednesday’s Champions League fixture against Aston Villa.

However, both players are reportedly making encouraging progress and have set their sights on returning for Saturday’s meeting with Atletico Madrid. Their availability would provide Flick with a significant boost as he looks to strengthen his defensive options.

For the Aston Villa encounter, the Barcelona manager must decide who will partner Pau Cubarsi at the heart of defence. Frenkie de Jong and Gerard Martin are among the possible candidates, although Martin has recently been struggling with discomfort.

De Jong impressed when deployed in defence against Deportivo Alaves, but his natural position remains in midfield. With Aston Villa arriving after an impressive victory over Manchester City, Flick faces an important decision between relying on the Dutchman’s experience or selecting Martin for his defensive qualities.