Barcelona’s Kounde To Miss El-Classico Over Fresh Injury

Again Barcelona has been faced with another injury blow as defender, Jules Kounde, left the pitch during the match at Granada on Sunday, which ended in a 2–2 draw.

Naija News reports that the Frenchman, who had been Barcelona’s ‘most important’ defender this season, limped off after teammate Gavi crashed into him after the youngster tried to clear the ball. He seemed to continue later on, but Granada forward Bryan Zaragoza bumped into him a few minutes later.

An official medical report released by Barcelona on Monday revealed that Kounde sustained a sprain in his MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament), which will make him unavailable for selection as he undergoes the recovery process.

Consequently, the player will be absent from upcoming matches, including a vital El Classico, and ruled out of international duty for the French national team.

Kounde is expected to be sidelined for approximately five weeks due to the severity of his injury Naija News understands.

The player joins the likes of Pedri Gonzalez, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Frenkie De Jong on the sidelines.

Israel Vs Hamas Conflict: UEFA Halts Football

Meanwhile, the European Football governing body, UEFA, has put on hold every football game and competition scheduled to take place in Israel.
This decision is expected to remain for two weeks due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas.

Earlier today, Naija News reported that the ongoing conflict has led to the death of over 1,000 people mostly Israeli citizens and a couple of foreigners.

On Sunday, October 8, the Israeli government formally declared war on the terrorist organization after the group assaulted Israel from Gaza on Saturday in what has been called the biggest attack on Israeli soil in more than 50 years.

UEFA said it will evaluate the ongoing conflict over the next few days to determine whether Israel’s European Championship qualifying match in Kosovo can still take place on October 15.

The reigning Israeli Premier League winner, Maccabi Haifa, will go to Villarreal after the international break to play a Europa League group stage game.

The Spanish team will visit them on November 7 for the return leg which could be postponed or played in a neutral ground if the ongoing tension persists.

Israel’s Thursday Euro 2024 qualifying match against Switzerland was among the games postponed by UEFA.