Barcelona face tough test against Aston Villa amid defensive crisis

Barcelona are dealing with a defensive crisis ahead of their next two matches, against Aston Villa in the Champions League and Atletico Madrid in La Liga. Despite the team’s big win over Deportivo Alaves, coach Hansi Flick voiced concern about the players’ fitness, stressing the need to get through both games without rushing injured players back before they have fully recovered.

Against Alaves, Flick had to make changes to players’ positions because Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde and Xavi Espart were absent, while Gerard Martin was suffering from physical discomfort. Pau Cubarsi was the only fully fit centre-back, so the coaching staff used Frenkie de Jong in that position, with Bryan Farinas at right-back and Joao Cancelo on the left.

According to Sport, Flick said some cases were improving, but the situation was still far from ideal, and he hoped to get one or two players back. He said Christensen was close to returning to training, while stressing that the club should not take a risk with him.

Cadena SER reported that there was no optimism within Barcelona about any of the injured players returning for the match against Aston Villa, while whether one of them could make the Atletico match would depend on how their condition developed over the coming days. Barcelona and Atletico are competing for the top spot in La Liga, with just two points between them.

Xavi Espart is expected to be the furthest from a return, with his recovery not anticipated before the end of 2026 or the start of the following year. As for Christensen, Eric Garcia and Kounde, improvements in their condition or a return to training do not necessarily mean they are ready to play in matches. Flick’s task is to find defensive solutions while keeping the players safe and avoiding rushing their returns.