Barcelona defender unlikely to return against Aston Villa or Atletico Madrid despite returning to group training – report

Barcelona defender unlikely to return against Aston Villa or Atletico Madrid despite returning to group training – report Barcelona’s defensive injury crisis has forced Hansi Flick into several difficult decisions in recent weeks. The Catalan club’s defenders have been falling like ninepins, with Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart currently out injured. It emerged earlier today that the Dane had returned to partial group training , potentially handing Hansi Flick a fitness boost. However, according to Mundo Deportivo , Andreas Christensen is not expected to be available against Aston Villa on Tuesday. The 30-year-old is also unlikely to return against Atletico Madrid next Sunday, and Barcelona prefer to monitor his recovery carefully. Christensen making progress, but comeback remains uncertain The Danish international has taken an important step in his recovery from the injury he suffered against Sevilla in September. Christensen has had a torrid time with injuries in the last three seasons, and the last thing Barça want is for him to suffer a relapse. Andreas Christensen is close to recovering from thigh injury. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) Thus, they are right to remain cautious about his recovery and give him time to return to full fitness. His absence against Aston Villa is certain, but the club want to wait before ruling him out of the Atletico Madrid encounter. Regardless, the fact that he is at least close to getting the green light is great news for Hansi Flick. Flick faces another defensive selection headache Barcelona’s shortage of defenders was evident against Alaves, when Flick deployed Frenkie de Jong at centre-back and handed Brian Farinas a first-team debut at right-back. Both midfielders performed admirably in unfamiliar positions and could be called upon yet again in the upcoming games. However, such experiments against opponents like Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid might be too big a risk for Flick. Barcelona should not rush Christensen back to action. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) Should he be available, Christensen would be able to add some much-needed experience and defensive solidity to the back line. However, the last thing anyone wants is for the 30-year-old to cut corners in his recovery and be ruled out for a much longer spell. With one week to go until the Atletico Madrid clash, Barcelona can take the Dane’s recovery day by day. It remains to be seen how the 30-year-old fares in training this week and whether he makes the squad against Atletico next weekend.