Koundé, García and others ruled doubtful for Barcelona ahead of Aston Villa Champions League tie

Barcelona will face Aston Villa at Camp Nou in a UEFA Champions League league-phase match on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, but the club will be without several defenders, with Jules Kounde and Éric García confirmed unavailable by Spanish journalist Alfredo Martinez.

The trip to Camp Nou comes after Barcelona’s 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain — which ended their unbeaten run — and a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in El Clásico in LaLiga. Despite those setbacks, Barcelona remain top of LaLiga and inside the automatic qualification places in the Champions League, and head coach Hansi Flick will be seeking a positive result to arrest the slide.

Alfredo Martinez reported that Kounde and García will not feature against Aston Villa. "🚨 Jules Koundé and Éric García are training away from the group and will not play against Aston Villa.— @Alfremartinezz pic.twitter.com/Hjn10aeJQW"

Jules Kounde’s absence stems from a left ankle sprain sustained against Real Betis; he missed the Clasico versus Real Madrid and the subsequent league fixture against Deportivo Alaves and is expected to miss the Villa match. Éric García suffered a right thigh injury in October with an initial recovery estimate of three to four weeks, has trained individually as he nears a return, but the game against Villa has come too soon for him.

Andreas Christensen remains doubtful after a left thigh injury suffered shortly before the international break in the Sevilla match and has been sidelined since September. Journalist Achraf Ben Ayad reported Christensen had participated in part of Barcelona’s group training, while Spanish publication SPORT noted the club would be cautious: "🚨 Christensen is very unlikely to be ready for Aston Villa on Tuesday, with Barça unwilling to take any risks.However, if his recovery continues well, he has a serious chance of returning to the squad against Atlético Madrid next weekend.— @sport pic.twitter.com/cQbgYhFmDL"

La Masia graduate Xavi Espart will also miss the Villa game after suffering a high ankle sprain in a collision with Aurelien Tchouameni during El Clásico; he is expected to be sidelined for seven weeks. In attack, Dani Olmo sustained a left abductor muscle injury against PSG and is expected to be out for almost a month, remaining unavailable until after the next international break, while Roony Bardghji continues as a long-term absentee with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The match is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at Camp Nou; in India the kickoff is listed at 1:30 AM IST on November 4. Those absences leave Flick with reduced options across the back line and in midfield heading into the Champions League fixture.

SPORT reported that if Christensen’s recovery progresses positively he could be available for the upcoming LaLiga fixture: "However, if his recovery continues well, he has a serious chance of returning to the squad against Atlético Madrid next weekend.— @sport"