It is still only early in the 2026-27 season, but FC Barcelona are already facing problems with injuries. In fact, the absence of several players due to physical problems has been a clear factor that has contributed to their poor recent form.
As things stand, Hansi Flick has his backline quite stretched, with only Gerard Martin, Pau Cubarsi, Joao Cancelo, and Alejandro Balde available to play. Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde suffered injuries during the game against Real Betis, while the young defender Xavi Espart was injured during the El Clasico.
Among these players, Kounde was the one who was expected to return the earliest. [He was working to return to availability for the match against Real Madrid](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/jules-kounde-misses-barcelona-training-as-el-clasico-absence-looms/), but ultimately was not able to recover in time.
In fact, as [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20261029/1004244578/kounde-descartado-barca-alaves.html) has reported, he is now also ruled out for the upcoming league game against Alaves, which is scheduled to be played at the Spotify Camp Nou this Saturday.
The plan for the French defender was to return to training this midweek, and thus be available for the match against Alaves. However, on Wednesday, he felt discomfort while wearing his boots and trained separately from his teammates. As a result, all the involved parties decided on Thursday that he should not play on Saturday, especially as a forced early return can further aggravate the problem.
Thus, Hansi Flick will once again have to go into an important game with only a few defenders available. In such a situation, he can play the young midfielder Brian Farinas in the defense, even though he has not played any minutes so far with the first team. More drastic measures could include playing Rodri or Frenkie de Jong in the backline, while the youngster Alex Campos has also been training with the first team recently, and can be an option for Barcelona against Alaves.