Jules Koundé suffers left thigh injury, could be out for a month

Jules Koundé (27) has suffered an injury to his left thigh biceps femoris muscle, FC Barcelona announced in a medical statement.

Starting at right-back in Tuesday evening’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg between the Blaugranas and Atlético Madrid (3-0), the Frenchman was forced to leave the pitch after only 11 minutes of play.

Although the club has not set a return date, indicating that the length of his absence will depend on how his injury progresses, RMC Sport has reported that Koundé is expected to be sidelined for around a month.

A real blow for Barça, who will now have to do without their number 23 for La Liga matches against Athletic Club, Sevilla FC and Rayo Vallecano, as well as the double-header against Newcastle in the Champions League round of 16. Furthermore, the former Girondins de Bordeaux player won’t be able to join up with the French national team for their friendly matches against Brazil and Colombia on 26th and 29th March in the United States.