Barcelona fans online had mixed feelings about Jules Kounde featuring in the starting XI vs Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. The Frenchman has been in and out of form in the last few months, leading to doubts about his inclusion.
Hansi Flick’s starting XI to face Atletico Madrid features Joan Garcia at the goal, with a backline of Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, and Joao Cancelo. The midfield includes Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo, and Pedri. Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Marcus Rashford start in the final third of the pitch.
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Fans took to X to react to the lineup, with mixed reactions about Jules Kounde making it to the starting XI. One X user wrote:
“Jules Kounde is starting, I don’t know if I should be happy or sad.”
Some other fans also shared mixed thoughts:
Fans continued to share their thoughts on Kounde in the lineup:
The clash marks the fifth time Barcelona is facing Atletico Madrid across competitions this season. They won both games against them in LaLiga, while suffering a 4-3 aggregate loss in the Copa del Rey semi-final. It’s also the second consecutive game against Los Colcheneros after a 2-1 league victory over the weekend.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick opens up on facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League
In the pre-match press conference, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick commented on facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals days after beating them 2-1 in LaLiga. He said (via AS):
“Atletico is a tough team. They have the right attitude, fast players, and are strong on the field. On Saturday, they rested several players and still played well. It’s not easy to score two goals against Atletico. That’s all I can say. It’s always tough. The match will be very exciting.”
He continued:
“We’ll try to get a good result, but we know we have to play there. We want to reach our goal. We have to focus on our performance and what we do. We have to focus on our own game. That’s what I want to see.”
While Barcelona won the LaLiga clash on Saturday, Atletico Madrid managed to rest many of their players to prepare better for the UCL clash. However, the Catalans have a major record to protect as they have not lost to Los Colchoneros in 20 years at the Camp Nou.
Their last defeat to Atletico at home was in February 2006. Now, with the first leg of the quarter-final being in Camp Nou, hopes will be high for the Catalans to emerge victorious.
Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar
