Barcelona defensive duo ruled out against Aston Villa; eyeing return vsAtletico Madrid

Barcelona defensive duo ruled out against Aston Villa; eyeing return vsAtletico Madrid Hansi Flick has been faced with an unexpected defensive crisis in recent weeks, for key players suffered concurrent injuries at the worst possible point in time. In the team’s win over Real Betis in La Liga, Barcelona lost Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia to injury while even Gerard Martin ended the game with discomfort. All of a sudden, they were left to fend off PSG and Real Madrid with the defence hanging by a thread, and neither game ended well. Kounde was initially expected to be fit within a week, but his recovery has stretched beyond what was expected. Garcia, on the other hand, was expected to be out for close to a month but recent reports suggested he could make it back in time to face Aston Villa. An update on the duo In a recent report, Jijantes FC provides an update on the injuries of both defenders and provides information on their potential availability to face Aston Villa. Eric is eyeing a comeback at the weekend. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) As brought to light by the Spanish outlet, both Garcia and Kounde continued to train away from the group earlier today. They are thus ruled out for the UEFA Champions League clash midweek. Both stars, however, continue to be close to returning and are working hard to ensure they are fit for the clash against Atletico Madrid at the weekend. Their returns, needless to say, will go a long way in reducing the severity of Barcelona’s crisis at the back. A decision for Flick With Aston Villa firing on all cylinders in the UEFA Champions League and even getting the better of Manchester City in recent weeks, Barcelona have a difficult game ahead of them. After their loss to PSG, however, the game is now essentially a must-win. De Jong started as a defender against Alaves. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) The manager thus has a massive decision over who starts alongside Pau Cubarsi in defence. Gerard Martin would be the obvious choice given how he is one of the manager’s more trusted defenders, but he has been operating with an injury in recent weeks and Flick gave him a rest against Deportivo Alaves. Frenkie de Jong, meanwhile, is the other option Flick can count on as the Dutchman provided an encouraging performance against Alaves in defence. He is, however, not a defender by trade and it remains to be seen if the manager values De Jong’s experience or Martin’s defensive profile.